List of Mars-crossing minor planets

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Mars-crosser is an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars. The known numbered Mars-crossers are listed here. They include the two numbered Mars trojans 5261 Eureka and (101429) 1998 VF31.

Many databases, for instance the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's online Small-Body Database Browser, only list asteroids with a perihelion greater than 1.3 AU as Mars-crossers. An asteroid with a perihelion less than this is classed as a near-Earth object instead, even though it is crossing the orbit of Mars as well as crossing (or coming near to) that of Earth. Nevertheless, these objects are listed on this page. A grazer is an object with a perihelion below the aphelion of Mars (1.67 AU) but above the Martian perihelion (1.58 AU).[1]

Co-orbital

L4 (leading cloud):

  • 1999 UJ7

L5 (trailing cloud):

Candidates

Inner grazers

Inner grazers that are also Earth-crossers or grazers

Mars-crossers that are also Earth-crossers or grazers

These objects are not catalogued as Mars-crossers in databases such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's online Small-body Database Browser. Instead, they are categorized as Near Earth Objects (NEOs).

Outer grazers

Mars-crossers

See also

Notes

  1. "Mars crosser", Encyclopædia Britannica, (2009), retrieved online May 3, 2009.
  2. 6386 Keithnoll at the JPL Small-Body Database Browser

External links

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