NEA
n. C1 Advanced nea
n. Stands for Near Earth Asteroid. A rock from space that travels close to Earth's orbit. Scientists track these to see if they might hit our planet in the future.
n. Abbreviation for Near Earth Asteroid. A small rocky body whose orbit brings it within 1.3 astronomical units of the Sun, and thus within 0.05 astronomical units of Earth's orbit.
Astronomers discovered a new NEA last night.
The NEA monitoring program tracks thousands of objects to predict any potential collisions with Earth over the next century.
While most NEAs are harmless, their proximity to our planet's orbit necessitates constant observation to identify any trajectory that might pose a significant threat to global security.