Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are asteroids whose orbits bring them into close proximity with Earth's orbit. The number of NEAs can vary due to new discoveries and changes in their orbits. As of the latest count, there are thousands of known NEAs.
Here's a breakdown of how many asteroids fall into different categories of NEAs:
1. Atira Asteroids: These are NEAs with orbits entirely inside Earth's orbit. There are a few known Atira asteroids.
2. Amor Asteroids: These NEAs have orbits that approach but do not cross Earth's orbit. There are several hundred known Amor asteroids.
3. Apollo Asteroids: These NEAs have orbits that cross Earth's orbit. There are also several hundred known Apollo asteroids.
4. Aten Asteroids: These NEAs have orbits that are mostly inside Earth's orbit but do cross it. There are a few known Aten asteroids.
In summary, the total number of Near-Earth Asteroids includes Atira, Amor, Apollo, and Aten asteroids, adding up to thousands of known NEAs.
