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NEAR Is Back in the Eros Saddle
posted: 07:01 pm ET
18 April 2000
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near_eros Since April 11, NASA's NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft has circled asteroid Eros at an altitude of 62 miles (100 kilometers). Images taken from this orbit will be used to make a high-resolution map of the sun-illuminated portion of the asteroid. Once again, the spacecraft's imager has looked at the "saddle region" of Eros (below). This image of the saddle was taken March 22, 2000, from a range of 129 miles (208 kilometers). Generically speaking, a saddle is a low ridge connecting two mountains. 
Researchers aren't sure of the origin of the saddle. It may be a scar from an impact that created a large 3.4-mile (5.5-kilometer) diameter crater on the opposite side of the asteroid. Over the next few months, as the sun moves south in Eros' sky, the whole saddle will become visible, perhaps providing more clues. In the image below, taken April 17, 2000, from a height of 63 miles (101 kilometers), the shadows highlight small-scale surface features. The surface is pockmarked with craters ranging in size up to the 1.74-mile (2.8-kilometer) diameter crater in the center of the image. The smallest craters that can be resolved are about 65 feet (20 meters) across. In lower right corner of the image, 65-foot (20-meter) boulders can be seen that were not evident in images from higher altitudes. 
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