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A near-Earth object (NEO) is an object, such as a comet or asteroid, in solar orbit that passes near Earth. They are of special interest because of the potential for a future impact with Earth (those most likely are termed potentially hazardous objects or PHOs), and a number of surveys aim to identify them:
Near-Earth objects are also useful destinations for space probes, such as OSIRIS-REx visiting 101955 Bennu. Comets and asteroids passing close to Earth are among the easiest to reach.