Apollo Objects
Apollo Objects are a class of Near Earth Objects whose orbits intersect with that of the Earth. It is applied to asteroid-like bodies whose perihelion or closest orbital point to the sun, lies inside the orbit of the Earth. Emilio Spedicato of the University of Bergamo has linked(a) the destruction of Atlantis with the possible collision of an Apollo Object with the Earth.
Over a hundred Apollos with a diameter of one kilometre or more have been discovered so far and unfortunately are still growing in number. By the end of 2016, the total number of ‘Apollos’, of all sizes, that have been identified, reached 8,180.(b)
As the extent of the threat to the Earth has become more obvious, governments are at last accepting the reality of the danger and considering ways of countering it.