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What are PHAs?

April 26, 2017phas

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What are PHAs?

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A. PHA stands for “Potentially Hazardous Asteroid”. PHAs are NEAs with minimum orbit intersection distances (closest approach between the asteroid’s orbit and Earth’s orbit) less than 0.05 AU and with absolute magnitude brighter than 22.0. That eliminates the really small objects (the ones that will vaporize in the Earth’s atmosphere) and does not depend on the asteroid actually making such a close approach.