Center for Near-Earth Object Studies

The Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) is the <a href="/facts/Jet_Propulsion_Laboratory/zPXnxRBf">Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a>'s (JPL's) facility for computing asteroid and <a href="/facts/Comet/w34utQCd">comet</a> orbits and their probability of Earth impact. CNEOS is located at, and operated by, <a href="/facts/Caltech/3FPcp7BL">Caltech</a> in <a href="/facts/Pasadena,_California/Y6AEEI03">Pasadena, California</a>.
CNEOS computes high-precision orbits for <a href="/facts/Near-Earth_object/UwnPRnSN">Near-Earth Objects</a> (NEOs). These <a href="/facts/Orbit/nD2TPySG">orbit</a> solutions calculate NEO close approaches to Earth, and produce assessments of NEO impact probabilities over the next century or more.
CNEOS is the home of JPL's <a href="/facts/Sentry_(monitoring_system)/u3ubJjFe">Sentry impact monitoring system</a>, which performs analyses of possible future orbits of hazardous <a href="/facts/Asteroid/g7Ulr1VB">asteroids</a>, searching for impact possibilities over the next century. Similarly, its Scout system monitors new potential asteroid discoveries and computes the possible range of future motions. In the event of a potential impact, known as a virtual impactor, the impact time and probability are estimated.
CNEOS also provides the NEO Deflection App, which computes how far a hypothetical asteroid would move if deflected by a known amount at an earlier time.

Center for Near-Earth Object Studies open-in-new

Center for Near-Earth Object Studies