Some have the potential to hit the earth. On this page, we will learn about NEO s as well as their potential for striking earth and the NEAR mission which will tell us much more about the nature of asteroids. NEO s are small bodies in our solar system who have been nudged near the orbit of the earth by the gravitational force of the planets. They are either asteroids, or short-period comets. The image at the right is of the asteroid Mathilde.
Comets are independent masses of ice and debris that orbit around the sun.
The comet s tail is volatile material that is being pushed away by solar wind and pressure. Asteroids may be leftovers from comets. NEO s are capable of someday striking our planet. An NEO smaller than a house would likely burn up in our planet s atmosphere. An NEO of 50 meters to 1 km in diameter could do tremendous damage on a local scale.