List of Earth-crossing asteroids

An Earth-crosser is a near-Earth asteroid that moves around the Sun in a path that sometimes crosses Earth’s path. These asteroids are special because their orbits go through the area where Earth travels.

Some Earth-crossers are called Aten asteroids because their orbits are smaller than Earth’s. Others are called Apollo asteroids because their orbits are larger. There are also Amor asteroids, whose orbits don’t quite reach Earth.

Just because an asteroid’s orbit crosses Earth’s doesn’t mean it will hit Earth. Many of these asteroids travel on paths that are tilted, so they may never meet our planet. Scientists watch some Earth-crossing asteroids that might come close to Earth in the future. These are called potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs). A PHA is an asteroid that might come very close to Earth and is also large enough to be noticed.

Even if an asteroid’s orbit comes close to Earth, it doesn’t mean a collision will happen. The paths of these asteroids can change because of the pull of gravity from planets they pass near. For example, 99942 Apophis is expected to pass very close to Earth in 2029. Another interesting Earth-crosser is 3753 Cruithne, which has an orbit that matches Earth’s journey around the Sun.

List

Earth-crossing asteroids are space rocks that move around the Sun on paths that cross Earth’s path.

These asteroids are divided into two groups:

• Aten asteroids have orbits closer to the Sun than Earth’s orbit.
• Apollo asteroids have orbits that stretch farther from the Sun than Earth’s orbit.

Some known Earth-crossing asteroids include:

• 1566 Icarus
• 1862 Apollo
• 2062 Aten
• 3200 Phaethon
• 99942 Apophis
• 524522 Zoozve

Scientists watch these asteroids closely to learn about their paths and make sure they do not pose a risk to Earth.