Aten asteroid
The Aten asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids, named after the first of the group to be discovered (2062 Aten, discovered January 7 1976 by Eleanor F. Helin). They have average orbital diameters closer than one astronomical unit (AU, the distance from the Earth to the Sun), placing them inside the orbit of Earth.
Nearly all known Aten asteroids have their aphelion greater than one AU; the only two known exceptions (as of May 2004) are 2003 CP20 and 2004 JG6.
Well-known Aten asteroids include:
| Name | Year | Discoverer |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 FH | 2004 | LINEAR |
| (66391) 1999 KW4 | 1999 | LINEAR |
| 5381 Sekhmet | 1991 | Carolyn Shoemaker |
| 3753 Cruithne | 1986 | J. D. Waldron |
| 3554 Amun | 1986 | Carolyn Shoemaker, Eugene Shoemaker |
| 3362 Khufu | 1984 | R. S. Dunbar, M. A. Barucci |
| 2340 Hathor | 1976 | Charles Kowal |
| 2100 Ra-Shalom | 1978 | Eleanor Helin |
| 2062 Aten | 1976 | Eleanor Helin |