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Which asteroids are the largest in the asteroid belt?

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Illustration showing a massive asteroid above a city map with a dinosaur silhouette for scale, highlighting the asteroid's size compared to major urban areas. — Asteroid This rock would take out more than just a *T. rex*.

The largest objects in the asteroid belt are categorized by their significant diameters and mass. While there are approximately 30 asteroids larger than 200 km in diameter, the four largest are Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, and Hygiea.12

The following table outlines their approximate diameters:

| Asteroid | Diameter (km) |
| :--- | :--- |
| Ceres | 940 |
| Vesta | 525 |
| Pallas | 510 |
| Hygiea | 410 |

Ceres is the largest of these, accounting for more than one-third of the total mass of the main asteroid belt. Although Ceres is the largest by size and mass, it is not the brightest; Vesta has a much higher albedo, making it appear brighter when observed from Earth. Because of its size and spherical shape, Ceres was designated as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union in 2006.32