Short-term Hazardous Asteroid

Abstract

In order to clarify the early warning and response requirements of near-Earth asteroids impact, the concept of “short-term hazardous asteroids” is proposed, that is, near-Earth asteroids with an equivalent diameter greater than 10 meters that may pose a threat to the Earth in the next 100 years. Based on the 756 short-term hazardous asteroids that have been discovered so far, the orbital distribution characteristics of short-term hazardous asteroids are analyzed, and the study shows that their orbital distribution differs from that of general near-Earth asteroids: the semi-major axis of the short-term hazardous asteroids is more concentrated in 1 au, and the orbital plane is more concentrated in the ecliptic plane. On the basis of the quantity model of near-Earth asteroids, a preliminary estimation model for the quantity of short-term hazardous asteroids is established, and the population of short-term hazardous asteroids with potential threat in the next 100 years is predicted. Some specific research on short-term hazardous asteroids is of great significance to the development of near-Earth asteroid search and monitoring strategies.