The Hidden Stories of Small Planetary Bodies

Dear Colleagues,

Small planetary bodies—such as asteroids, comets, and Kuiper Belt objects—serve as invaluable records of the early solar system's formation and evolution. Their relatively unaltered compositions and dynamic behaviors provide critical insights into planetary migration, collisional processes, and the delivery of volatiles and organics to terrestrial worlds. As our observational capabilities continue to grow, so too does our ability to extract complex information from these distant and often elusive objects.

In recent years, the integration of advanced instrumentation, large-scale survey data, and cutting-edge numerical tools, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, has revolutionized our approach to small body research. These technologies have enabled more precise modeling, new discoveries, and the refinement of existing theories. This Special Issue of Universe aims to highlight these advancements and foster a multidisciplinary dialogue on the state and future of small planetary body science.

We welcome original research articles, review papers, and concept studies that address a wide range of topics, including observational strategies, data analysis techniques, dynamical modeling, physical and chemical evolution, and mission design. Our goal is to reflect the diversity and rapid development of this field and inspire innovative approaches for future exploration.

Potential topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Role of large surveys, their usefulness and limitations, and the techniques used to handle large amounts of data.
• Advancements in celestial dynamics calculations.
• Developments in asteroid modeling and applications of multi-wavelength and multi-mission measurements.
• Connection of recent observations and the dynamical/physical/chemical evolution of asteroids.

Dr. Emese Forgacs-Dajka
Dr. Csaba Kiss
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Universe is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• small solar system bodies
• asteroids and comets
• celestial dynamics
• survey astronomy
• machine learning in planetary science
• multi-wavelength observations
• data-driven modeling
• evolution of minor planets
• AI applications in space science
• planetary mission science