List of Mars-crossing minor planets

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A Mars-crossing asteroid (MCA, also Mars-crosser, MC) is an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars. Some Mars-crossers numbered below 100000 are listed here. They include the two numbered Mars trojans 5261 Eureka and (101429) 1998 VF31.

Many databases, for instance the JPL Small-Body Database (JPL SBDB), only list asteroids with a perihelion greater than 1.3 AU as Mars-crossers. An asteroid with a perihelion less than this is classed as a near-Earth object even though it is crossing the orbit of Mars as well as crossing (or coming near to) that of Earth. Nevertheless, these objects are listed on this page. A grazer is an object with a perihelion below the aphelion of Mars (1.67 AU) but above the Martian perihelion (1.38 AU).^[1] The JPL SBDB lists 13,500 Mars-crossing asteroids. Only 18 MCAs are brighter than absolute magnitude (H) 12.5,^[2] which typically makes these asteroids with H<12.5 more than 13 km in diameter depending on the albedo. The smallest known MCAs have an absolute magnitude (H) of around 24 and are typically less than 100 meters in diameter. There are over 21,600 known Mars-crossers^[3] of which only 5751 have received a MPC number.

Earth having more gravity and surface area than Mars attracts more impactors than Mars. Earth is impacted about 20 times more than the Moon,^[4] and Mars only gets impacted about 3 to 5 times more than the Moon.^[5]

Co-orbital

L₄ (leading cloud):

(121514) 1999 UJ7

L₅ (trailing cloud):

5261 Eureka – the only named Mars trojan
(101429) 1998 VF31
(311999) 2007 NS2
(385250) 2001 DH47
2011 SC191
2011 UN63

Candidates

2011 SL25

Inner grazers

Inner grazers that are also Earth-crossers or grazers

Mars-crossers that are also Earth-crossers or grazers

These objects are not catalogued as Mars-crossers in databases such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's online Small-body Database Browser. Instead, they are categorized as Near Earth Objects (NEOs).

Outer grazers

Mars-crossers

References

^ "Mars crosser", Encyclopædia Britannica, (2009), retrieved online May 3, 2009.
^ "JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine: orbital class (MCA) and H < 12.5 (mag)". JPL Solar System Dynamics. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
^ "JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine: orbital class (MCA)". JPL Solar System Dynamics. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
^ NASA's Moon Data Sheds Light on Earth’s Asteroid Impact History
^ How often does Mars get whacked?
^ 6386 Keithnoll at the JPL Small-Body Database Browser

External links

Small Solar System bodies

Minor planets

Designation Groups List Moon Meanings of names
Asteroid	Active Aten asteroid Asteroid belt Family Jupiter trojan Near-Earth Spectral types
Distant minor planet	Centaur Neptune trojan Damocloid Trans-Neptunian object Detached Kuiper belt Oort cloud Scattered disc

Other

Atmosphere	Circulation Climate Dust devil tracks Methane
Regions	Arabia Terra Cerberus (Mars) Cydonia Eridania Lake Iani Chaos Olympia Undae Planum Australe Planum Boreum Quadrangles Sinus Meridiani Tempe Terra Terra Cimmeria Terra Sabaea Tharsis Undae Ultimi Scopuli Vastitas Borealis
Physical features	"Canals" (list) Canyons Catenae Chaos terrain Craters Fossae Gullies Mensae Labyrinthi Mountains by height Observed rocks Outflow channels Plains Valley network Valleys Gravity
Geology	Brain terrain Carbonates Chaos terrain Color Composition Concentric crater fill Dark slope streak Dichotomy Fretted terrain Geysers Glaciers Groundwater Gullies Lakes Lava tubes Lobate debris apron Marsquake Meteorites on Earth on Mars Mud cracks North Polar Basin Ocean theory Ore resources Polar caps polar wander Recurring slope lineae (RSL) Ring mold craters Rootless cones Seasonal flows Soil Spherules Surface "Swiss cheese" feature Terrain softening Tharsis bulge Volcanism Water Yardangs
History	Amazonian Hesperian Noachian Observation history Classical albedo features

Astronomy

Moons	Phobos Stickney crater Limtoc crater Monolith Deimos Swift crater Voltaire crater
Transits	Solar eclipses on Mars Satellite transits Phobos Deimos Planetary transits Earth Mercury
Asteroids	Impacts Mars-crossers 2007 WD5 Trojans 5261 Eureka 1998 VF₃₁ 1999 UJ₇ 2007 NS₂
Comets	C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring)
General	Orbit

Exploration

Concepts	Flyby Orbiter Landing Rover Sample return Human mission Permanent settlement Colonization Terraforming
Missions	List of missions to Mars
Advocacy	The Mars Project The Case for Mars Inspiration Mars Foundation Mars Institute Mars Society Mars race