Every entry in the Asteria registry sits in one of three tiers: Genesis, Celestial or Sovereign. Tiers are a curatorial structure — a way of grouping bodies that share a character, the way a museum groups a collection into rooms. They describe what makes an asteroid scientifically distinctive. They do not describe, predict or promise what a token is worth.
The three tiers#
| Tier | What sets it apart | Preview entries |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | Main-belt bodies under ~8 km. The entry point to the registry. | 4 / 14 |
| Celestial | Distinctive orbits or surfaces — near-Earth, high-albedo, resonant groups. | 5 / 14 |
| Sovereign | The rarest entries: large bodies, metallic types, Trojans and Atiras. | 5 / 14 |
Genesis#
Main-belt bodies under roughly 8 km across. Genesis is the entry point to the registry: ordinary in the best sense, these are the rocks that make up most of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Many are carbonaceous or stony, and every one has an orbit and a story worth telling.
Celestial#
Bodies with a distinctive orbit or surface. That includes near-Earth objects (Amors, Apollos and Atens), high-albedo surfaces that reflect an unusual share of sunlight, and members of resonant groups such as the Hildas, locked in a 3:2 dance with Jupiter, or the steeply inclined Hungarias at the inner edge of the belt.
Sovereign#
The rarest entries in the catalogue: large bodies, metallic M-types, Jupiter Trojans sharing the giant planet's orbit, and Atiras — asteroids whose entire orbit lies inside Earth's, of which very few are known.
How a tier is assigned#
Tier assignment is a curatorial judgement guided by four factors. Each is grounded in measurable data from the entry's record, and the traits that drove the decision are shown on every entry's page.
1. Size#
Diameter is the most intuitive factor. Large asteroids are fewer in number: the population of small bodies vastly outnumbers the large ones. A body tens of kilometres across is a significant fragment of the early Solar System; a sub-kilometre body is a shard. Both are interesting — but size shapes where an entry sits.
2. Spectral rarity#
An asteroid's spectrum — the way its surface reflects different wavelengths of light — hints at what it is made of. Carbonaceous C-types and stony S-types are common. Metallic M-types, basaltic V-types and primitive red D-types are much less so in the observed population. See Spectral classes for the full taxonomy.
- C-type
Carbonaceous
Clay and silicate rock rich in carbon compounds; hydrated minerals.
Albedo0.03–0.10 - S-type
Silicaceous
Stony silicates (olivine, pyroxene) mixed with nickel-iron metal.
Albedo0.10–0.30 - M-type
Metallic
Spectra consistent with nickel-iron metal; some show hydrated or silicate features.
Albedo0.10–0.20 - V-type
Basaltic
Basaltic crust rich in pyroxene, like the surface of 4 Vesta.
Albedo0.20–0.45 - X-complex
Mixed / enstatite
A spectral grouping that includes E (enstatite), M and P types; composition varies.
Albedo0.04–0.60 - D-type
Primitive red
Very dark, reddish material thought to be rich in organics and ices.
Albedo0.02–0.08
3. Orbit class rarity#
Where an asteroid travels matters as much as what it is. Most known asteroids orbit in the main belt. Near-Earth orbits, resonant groups and Trojans are distinctive dynamical families, and Atiras are among the rarest of all. Orbits explained covers each class in detail.
4 · Near-Earth groups
Perihelion below 1.3 AU
- AtiraNEA
Orbit lies entirely inside Earth's (aphelion < 0.983 AU). Very few are known.
1 entry in the preview catalogue
- AtenNEA
Earth-crossing, with a semi-major axis smaller than Earth's (a < 1 AU, aphelion > 0.983 AU).
1 entry in the preview catalogue
- ApolloNEA
Earth-crossing, with a semi-major axis larger than Earth's (a > 1 AU, perihelion < 1.017 AU).
1 entry in the preview catalogue
- AmorNEA
Approaches Earth from outside without crossing its orbit (1.017 < perihelion < 1.3 AU).
1 entry in the preview catalogue
8 · Main belt and beyond
Mars-crossers to Jupiter Trojans
- Mars-crosser
Crosses the orbit of Mars (1.3 < perihelion < 1.666 AU).
None in the preview catalogue
- Hungaria
Inner-edge group at 1.78–2.0 AU on steeply inclined orbits.
1 entry in the preview catalogue
- Inner main belt
Between Mars and the 3:1 Kirkwood gap with Jupiter (≈2.1–2.5 AU).
2 entries in the preview catalogue
- Middle main belt
Between the 3:1 and 5:2 Kirkwood gaps (≈2.5–2.82 AU).
2 entries in the preview catalogue
- Outer main belt
Beyond the 5:2 gap out to ≈3.3 AU.
3 entries in the preview catalogue
- Hilda
Locked in a 3:2 resonance with Jupiter at ≈3.7–4.2 AU.
1 entry in the preview catalogue
- Jupiter Trojan
Shares Jupiter's orbit, clustered around its L4/L5 Lagrange points (≈5.2 AU).
1 entry in the preview catalogue
- Other
An orbit outside the common dynamical groups.
None in the preview catalogue
4. Story#
Some entries carry a significance that the numbers alone do not capture: a registry milestone, an unusual combination of traits, or a place in the history of the catalogue. In the preview catalogue, for example, Vesperine (ASR-0001) sits in Celestial rather than Genesis because it is the first entry in the registry.
How prices are set#
Within the primary sale, each entry carries a fixed price published in advance. Prices follow the tier structure — a Sovereign entry is priced above a Genesis entry — and may vary within a tier to reflect the factors above. There are no auctions in the primary sale and no dynamic pricing: the price you see when the sale opens is the price you pay, plus the network fee shown at checkout.
Prices are set by Asteria for the collectible and the registry services that come with it: the certificate, verified data and hosted metadata. They are not a statement about any future market price, and a token may have no resale value at all. Read the risk disclosure before taking part.
What a tier is — and is not#
| A tier is… | A tier is not… |
|---|---|
| A curatorial grouping based on scientific traits | A valuation or appraisal |
Recorded in the token's metadata as the Tier attribute | A prediction of future price or demand |
| Explained by the traits shown on each entry's page | A ranking of how "good" an asteroid is |
| Planned to stay fixed after mint | A right to anything beyond the registry entry |
Can a tier change?#
The tier is planned to be fixed at mint and recorded in the token's metadata. Scientific data can be refined over time — orbits are recalculated as new observations arrive, and size estimates improve — but those refinements are not planned to reshuffle tiers retroactively. The final policy will be documented in the terms of sale.
Are higher tiers more scientifically valuable?#
Not necessarily. Some of the most important asteroids in planetary science are small, dark and ordinary-looking. Tiers reflect rarity within the catalogue and within the known population, not scientific merit. A Genesis entry is no less real, and no less interesting, than a Sovereign one.