An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A → near-Earth asteroid (NEA) that is the prototype of the → Apollo asteroids. It was discovered by the German astronomer Karl Reinmuth (1892-1979) in 1932, but was then lost until 1973. It has an estimated average diameter of 1.4 km, an → orbital period of 652 days, a → perihelion distance of 0.647 AU, and an → aphelion distance of 2.294 AU. It can come as close to Earth as 0.028 AU. Apollo has a small satellite of size less than one-tenth of the primary. Apollo was one of the two first asteroids in which the → YORP effect was detected.

See also: Apollo or Apollon in Greek mythology the god of music and also of prophecy, medicine, archery, poetry, dance, intellectual inquiry and the carer of herds and flocks.