Asteroid 2004 FH passed within a tenth of the Earth-Moon distance in March 2004.When its period was found to be about nine months,it was classified as a(n):
A) short period comet.
B) aten asteroid.
C) apollo asteroid.
D) amor asteroid.
E) Kuiper Belt Object.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Asteroid 2004 FH is classified as an aten asteroid, which is a type of asteroid with an orbit that is mostly inside Earth's orbit. Aten asteroids have a period of less than 1 year and can come close to Earth, sometimes crossing Earth's orbit. Short period comets have a period of less than 200 years, and Kuiper Belt Objects are objects in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune's orbit. Amor and Apollo asteroids have orbits that cross Earth's orbit but are not primarily inside it like aten asteroids.

Asteroid 2004 FH Passed Within a Tenth of the Earth-Moon