Query: A near-Earth object is not a planet and it is in the universe.

Relevant passages:
Small Solar System body <=SEP=> A Small Solar System Body ( SSSB ) is an object in the Solar System that is neither a planet , nor a dwarf planet , nor a natural satellite . The term was first defined in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union .   This encompasses all comets and all minor planets other than those that are dwarf planets . Thus SSSBs are : the classical asteroids with the exception of the dwarf planet Ceres ; the trojans ; and the centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects with the exception of Pluto , Haumea , Makemake , Eris , and others that may turn out to be dwarf planets .

Earth <=SEP=> Earth ( from Eorðe -LSB- Γαῖα , Gaia -RSB- Terra ) , otherwise known as the World or the Globe , is the third planet from the Sun and the only object in the Universe known to harbor life . It is the densest planet in the Solar System and the largest of the four terrestrial planets .   According to radiometric dating and other sources of evidence , Earth formed about 4.54 billion years ago . Earth 's gravity interacts with other objects in space , especially the Sun and the Moon , Earth 's only natural satellite . During one orbit around the Sun , Earth rotates about its axis over 365 times ; thus , an Earth year is about 365.26 days long . Earth 's axis of rotation is tilted , producing seasonal variations on the planet 's surface . The gravitational interaction between the Earth and Moon causes ocean tides , stabilizes the Earth 's orientation on its axis , and gradually slows its rotation .   Earth 's lithosphere is divided into several rigid tectonic plates that migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years . About 71 % of Earth 's surface is covered with water , mostly by its oceans . The remaining 29 % is land consisting of continents and islands that together have many lakes , rivers and other sources of water that contribute to the hydrosphere . The majority of Earth 's polar regions are covered in ice , including the Antarctic ice sheet and the sea ice of the Arctic ice pack . Earth 's interior remains active with a solid iron inner core , a liquid outer core that generates the Earth 's magnetic field , and a convecting mantle that drives plate tectonics .   Within the first billion years of Earth 's history , life appeared in the oceans and began to affect the Earth 's atmosphere and surface , leading to the proliferation of aerobic and anaerobic organisms . Some geological evidence indicates that life may have arisen as much as 4.1 billion years ago . Since then , the combination of Earth 's distance from the Sun , physical properties , and geological history have allowed life to evolve and thrive . In the history of the Earth , biodiversity has gone through long periods of expansion , occasionally punctuated by mass extinction events . Over 99 % of all species that ever lived on Earth are extinct . Estimates of the number of species on Earth today vary widely ; most species have not been described . Over 7.4 billion humans live on Earth and depend on its biosphere and minerals for their survival . Humans have developed diverse societies and cultures ; politically , the world has about 200 sovereign states .

Near-Earth object <=SEP=> A near-Earth object ( NEO ) is any small Solar System body whose orbit brings it into proximity with Earth . By definition , a solar system body is a NEO if its closest approach to the Sun ( perihelion ) is less than 1.3 astronomical unit ( AU ) . NEOs include more than fourteen thousand near-Earth asteroids ( NEAs ) , more than one hundred near-Earth comets ( NECs ) , and a number of solar-orbiting spacecraft and meteoroids , large enough to be tracked in space before striking the Earth . It is now widely accepted that collisions in the past have had a significant role in shaping the geological and biological history of the Earth . NEOs have become of increased interest since the 1980s because of increased awareness of the potential danger some of the asteroids or comets pose , and mitigations are being researched . In January 2016 , NASA announced the Planetary Defense Coordination Office to track NEOs larger than 30 to 50 meters in diameter and coordinate an effective threat response and mitigation effort .   NEAs have orbits that lie partly between 0.983 and 1.3 AU away from the Sun . When a NEA is detected it is submitted to the IAU 's Minor Planet Center for cataloging . Some NEAs orbits intersect that of Earth 's so they pose a collision danger . The United States , European Union , and other nations are currently scanning for NEOs in an effort called Spaceguard .   In the United States and since 1998 , NASA has a congressional mandate to catalogue all NEOs that are at least 1 kilometer wide , as the impact of such an object would be globally catastrophic . In 2006 , it was estimated that 20 % of the mandated objects had not yet been found . In 2011 , largely as a result of NEOWISE , it was estimated that 93 % of the NEAs larger than 1 km had been found and that only about 70 remained to be discovered . , there have been 875 NEAs larger than 1 km discovered , of which 157 are potentially hazardous . The inventory is much less complete for smaller objects , which still have potential for large scale , though not global , damage .   Potentially hazardous objects ( PHOs ) are currently defined based on parameters that measure the object 's potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth . Mostly objects with an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance ( MOID ) of 0.05 AU or less and an absolute magnitude ( H ) of 22.0 or brighter ( a rough indicator of large size ) are considered PHOs . Objects that can not approach closer to the Earth ( i.e. MOID ) than 0.05 AU , or are smaller than about 150 m ( 500 ft ) in diameter ( i.e. H = 22.0 with assumed albedo of 13 % ) , are not considered PHOs . NASA 's catalog for near-Earth objects also includes the approach distances of asteroids and comets measured in lunar distances , and this usage has become a common unit of measure used by the news media in discussing these objects .   Some NEOs are of special interest because they can be physically explored with lower mission velocity than for even the Moon , due to their combination of low velocity with respect to Earth ( ΔV ) and weak gravity , so they may present interesting scientific opportunities both for direct geochemical and astronomical investigation , and as potentially economical sources of extraterrestrial materials for human exploitation . This makes them an attractive target for exploration . As of 2016 , three near-Earth objects have been visited by spacecraft .