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Near-Earth Objects

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Synonyms

NEO

Definition

A near-Earth object (NEO) is an asteroid or comet with a perihelion distance of less than 1.3 astronomical units (AU, the mean Sun–Earth distance). The orbits of NEOs can evolve to intersect that of the Earth; the associated impact hazard is very small but scientifically well founded. The impact of a NEO with a diameter of just 50 m could cause a major catastrophe. Depending on its orbital parameters a NEO is categorized as an Amor, Apollo, Aten, or inner Earth object (IEO). As of June 2013 nearly 10,000 NEOs have been discovered, of which about 860 have diameters of 1 km or more.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DLR, Institute of Planetary Research, Rutherfordstraße 2, 12489, Berlin, Germany

    Alan W. Harris

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  1. Alan W. Harris
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Correspondence to Alan W. Harris .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Harris, A.W. (2014). Near-Earth Objects. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1046-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1046-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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  1. Latest

    Near-Earth Objects
    Published:
    27 November 2021

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1046-4

  2. Original

    Near-Earth Objects
    Published:
    29 April 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1046-3

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