What Are Near-Earth Objects? Understanding NEOs and Planetary Defence
By
robert.wickramatunga
Summary
This article explains what Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are — asteroids and comets that pass within 1.3 astronomical units of the Sun and close to Earth's orbit (within ~45 million km). It describes how NEOs originate from gravitational perturbations by nearby planets, which move them into Earth-approaching orbits. The article also promotes a new UNOOSA publication on planetary defence and global cooperation to address NEO threats.
Source
Twitter / XWhat Are Near-Earth Objects? Understanding NEOs and Planetary Defenceunoosa.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledNear-Earth Objects, or NEOs, represent potentially catastrophic threats to our planet.
A near-Earth object is an asteroid or comet which passes close to the Earth's orbit.
NEOs generally result from objects that have experienced gravitational perturbations from nearby planets, moving them into orbits that allow them to come close to the Earth.
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