The Apollo asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids named after 1862 Apollo, the first asteroid of this group to be discovered by Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth. They are Earth-crosser asteroids that have orbital semi-major axes greater than that of the Earth (> 1 AU) and a perihelion distance (q) < 1.017 AU. Some can get very close to the Earth, making them a potential threat to our planet (the closer their semi-major axis is to Earth's, the less eccentricity is needed for the orbits to cross).
The largest known Apollo asteroid is 1866 Sisyphus, with a diameter of about 10 km.
Well-known Apollo asteroids include:
| Name | Year | Discoverer |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 MD | 2011 | LINEAR |
| 2010 AL30 | 2010 | LINEAR |
| 2009 WM1 | 2009 | |
| 2009 DD45 | 2009 | Siding Spring Observatory, Australia |
| 2008 TC3 | 2008 | Catalina Sky Survey |
| 2007 VK184 | 2007 | Catalina Sky Survey |
| 2007 TU24 | 2007 | Catalina Sky Survey |
| 2007 WD5 | 2007 | Catalina Sky Survey |
| 2006 FV35 | 2006 | Spacewatch |
| 2006 SU49 | 2006 | Spacewatch |
| 2005 YU55 | 2005 | |
| 2005 WY55 | 2005 | |
| 2004 XP14 | 2004 | LINEAR |
| 2004 AS1 | 2004 | LINEAR |
| 2002 TD66 | 2002 | LINEAR |
| (137108) 1999 AN10 | 1999 | LINEAR |
| 1998 KY26 | 1998 | Spacewatch |
| 1997 XR2 | 1997 | LINEAR |
| 69230 Hermes | 1937 | Karl Reinmuth |
| (53319) 1999 JM8 | 1999 | LINEAR |
| (52760) 1998 ML14 | 1998 | LINEAR |
| (35396) 1997 XF11 | 1997 | Spacewatch |
| 25143 Itokawa | 1998 | LINEAR |
| 1994 CC | 1994 | Spacewatch |
| (175706) 1996 FG3 | 1996 | R. H. McNaught, Siding Spring Observatory, Australia |
| 6489 Golevka | 1991 | Eleanor F. Helin |
| 4769 Castalia | 1989 | Eleanor F. Helin |
| 4660 Nereus | 1982 | Eleanor F. Helin |
| 4581 Asclepius | 1989 | Henry E. Holt, Norman G. Thomas |
| 4486 Mithra | 1987 | Eric Elst, Vladimir Shkodrov |
| (4197) 1982 TA | 1982 | Eleanor F. Helin, Eugene Shoemaker |
| 4183 Cuno | 1959 | Cuno Hoffmeister |
| 4179 Toutatis | 1989 | Christian Pollas |
| 4015 Wilson-Harrington | 1979 | Eleanor F. Helin |
| 3200 Phaethon | 1983 | Simon F. Green, John K.Davies / IRAS |
| 2063 Bacchus | 1977 | Charles T. Kowal |
| 1866 Sisyphus | 1972 | Paul Wild |
| 1620 Geographos | 1951 | Albert George Wilson, Rudolph Minkowski |
| (29075) 1950 DA | 1950 | Carl A. Wirtanen |
| 1566 Icarus | 1949 | Walter Baade |
| 1685 Toro | 1948 | Carl A. Wirtanen |
| 2101 Adonis | 1936 | Eugène Joseph Delporte |
| 1862 Apollo | 1932 | Karl Reinmuth |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list and/or apollo:
“The advice of their elders to young men is very apt to be as unreal as a list of the hundred best books.”
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935)
“Every morning I woke in dread, waiting for the day nurse to go on her rounds and announce from the list of names in her hand whether or not I was for shock treatment, the new and fashionable means of quieting people and of making them realize that orders are to be obeyed and floors are to be polished without anyone protesting and faces are to be made to be fixed into smiles and weeping is a crime.”
—Janet Frame (b. 1924)
“Here Men from The Planet Earth
First Set Foot upon The Moon
July, 1969 AD
We Came in Peace for All Mankind”
—Plaque left behind on the moon’s surface by the crew of Apollo 11.