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 |
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—Charlotte Bunch (b. 1944)
““Epic poem,—ten thousand lines—revolution of July—composed it on the spot—Mars by day, Apollo by night,—bang the field-piece, twang the lyre.””
—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)