Editing List of minor-planet groups (section)

== Groups out to the orbit of Earth ==

There are relatively few asteroids that orbit close to the Sun. Several of these groups are hypothetical at this point in time, with no members having yet been discovered; as such, the names they have been given are provisional.
* [[Vulcanoid asteroid]]s are hypothetical asteroids that orbit entirely within the orbit of [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]] (have an [[aphelion]] of less than 0.3874&nbsp;AU). A few searches for vulcanoids have been conducted but none have been discovered so far.
* [[ꞌAylóꞌchaxnim asteroid]]s (previously named Vatira) are asteroids that orbit entirely within the orbit of [[Venus]] (have an aphelion of less than 0.718&nbsp;AU). {{As of|2022}}, one such asteroid is known: [[594913 ꞌAylóꞌchaxnim]].
* [[Atira asteroid]]s (Apohele; Interior-Earth Objects) are a small group of known asteroids whose aphelion is less than 0.983&nbsp;AU, meaning they orbit entirely within Earth's orbit. The group is named after its first confirmed member, [[163693&nbsp;Atira]]. {{As of|2020}}, the group consists of 22 members, 6 of which are numbered.<ref name="jpl-search-by-smallest-aphelion" />
* [[List of Mercury-crossing minor planets|Mercury-crosser asteroid]]s having a [[perihelion]] smaller than Mercury's 0.3075&nbsp;AU.
* [[List of Venus-crossing minor planets|Venus-crosser asteroid]]s having a perihelion smaller than [[Venus]]'s 0.7184&nbsp;AU. This group includes the above Mercury-crossers (if their aphelion is greater than Venus's perihelion. All known Mercury crossers satisfy this condition except ꞌAylóꞌchaxnim, which has an aphelion smaller than Venus's perihelion and a perihelion slightly smaller than Mercury's aphelion).
* [[List of Earth-crossing minor planets|Earth-crosser asteroid]]s having a perihelion smaller than [[Earth]]'s 0.9833&nbsp;AU. This group includes the above Mercury- and Venus-crossers, apart from the Apoheles. They are also divided into the
** [[Aten asteroid]]s having a [[semi-major axis]] less than 1&nbsp;AU, named after [[2062&nbsp;Aten]].
** [[Apollo asteroid]]s having a [[semi-major axis]] greater than 1&nbsp;AU, named after [[1862&nbsp;Apollo]].
* [[Arjuna asteroid]]s are somewhat vaguely defined as having orbits similar to Earth's; i.e. with an average orbital radius of around 1&nbsp;AU and with low eccentricity and inclination.<ref name=geo /> Due to the vagueness of this definition some asteroids belonging to the [[Atira asteroid|Atira]], [[Amor asteroid|Amor]], [[Apollo asteroid|Apollo]] or [[Aten asteroid|Aten]] groups can also be classified as Arjunas. The term was introduced by [[Spacewatch]] and does not refer to an existing asteroid; examples of Arjunas include [[1991&nbsp;VG]].
* [[Earth trojan]]s are asteroids located in the Earth–Sun [[Lagrangian point]]s {{L4}} and {{L5}}. Their location in the sky as observed from Earth's surface would be fixed at about 60 degrees east and west of the Sun, and as people tend to search for asteroids at much greater elongations few searches have been done in these locations. The only known Earth trojans are {{mpl|2010 TK|7}} and {{mpl|2020 XL|5}}.
* [[Near-Earth asteroid]]s is a catch-all term for asteroids whose orbit closely approaches that of Earth. It includes almost all of the above groups, as well as the [[Amor asteroid]]s.