Close encounters and collisions of Near-Earth asteroids with the Earth

This article describes some recent advances in the analytical theory of close encounters between small bodies and the Earth. This theory is based on the work of ضpik, and allows us to understand the main geometrical features of close encounters leading to resonant returns, a very important phenomenon to be taken into account in the analysis of the dynamical evolution of Earth crossing asteroids. To cite this article: G.B. Valsecchi, C. R. Physique 6 (2005).