"Monitoring Near-Earth Asteroids: Tracking Future Encounters"

Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are asteroids or comets with orbits that bring them close to Earth's orbit. There are over 20,000 known NEAs, with four significant families based on their orbital parameters. Potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) are a concerning category of NEAs that have the potential to make a threatening close approach to Earth. Space agencies, such as NASA, are actively working to identify and track these dangerous space rocks. Various observatories and telescopes, along with the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center, collect data on NEAs. NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) characterizes the orbits of known NEAs and predicts their close approaches to Earth. Impact assessments are conducted to understand the potential devastation caused by larger asteroids.