Eros
433 Eros
Eros
Asteroid
Gemini
Visible
Level 4
Large telescope (10"+) - Timing dependent
Properties
Magnitude
7.0
Type: Asteroid
Distance: 1.458 AU
Orbital Period: 643.1 days
Diameter: 17 km
Features: Himeros saddle, Shoemaker crater
First near-Earth asteroid discovered; target of NEAR Shoemaker mission which orbited and landed on Eros in 2001; elongated peanut shape (34 x 11 x 11 km); S-type asteroid; can approach within 0.15 AU of Earth.
Position & Identifiers
RA
06h 27m 41.0s
Dec
+11° 51' 06.5"
Constellation
Gemini
Catalog
Eros
Physical Properties
Diameter
17 km
Mass
6.687e15 kg
Albedo
0.25
(25% reflected)
Temperature
100°C
Rotation
5.3 hours
Surface
Himeros saddle, Shoemaker crater
Angular Size
0.0″ (current)
Orbital Properties
Semi-major Axis
1.4581 AU
(218.1 million km)
Eccentricity
0.2228
Inclination
10.83°
Orbital Period
643.1 days
Distance
0.597 AU
(5.0 light-min)
Elongation
90.6°
Good
Observing Tips
Best Months
January
, February
Visibility
Binoculars at close approach
Where to Look
Near-Earth asteroid (Amor group)
Notes
First near-Earth asteroid discovered; target of NEAR Shoemaker mission which orbited and landed on Eros in 2001; elongated peanut shape (34 x 11 x 11 km); S-type asteroid; can approach within 0.15 AU of Earth.
Discovery
Discovered by
Carl Gustav Witt
Date
1898-08-13
Current Ephemeris
0.597
AU from Earth
89.4M
km
0.0″
Angular Size
91°
Elongation
Visibility
Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.