near-Earth object

References

Images

The Chicxulub asteroid

A logarithmic graph shows the average interval between Earth impacts by near-Earth objects of different diameters, plotting frequency in years against object size and kinetic energy. Markers highlight the Tunguska and Chicxulub events, with a shaded area indicating the global catastrophe threshold.

near-Earth object: Media

astronomy

Images

The Chicxulub asteroid

The Chicxulub asteroid

An artist's rendering of the impact of a near-Earth object 66 million years ago in...

NASA; illustration by Don Davis

A logarithmic graph shows the average interval between Earth impacts by near-Earth objects of different diameters, plotting frequency in years against object size and kinetic energy. Markers highlight the Tunguska and Chicxulub events, with a shaded area indicating the global catastrophe threshold.

average times between NEO impacts

Estimated average times between impacts on Earth for near-Earth objects (NEOs) over...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.