433 Eros

433 Eros
Eros – composite image of the north polar region, with the craters Psyche above and Himeros below. The long ridge Hinks Dorsum, believed to be a thrust fault, can be seen snaking diagonally between them. The smaller crater in the foreground is Narcissus. Watters, (2011)
Discovery [1]
Discovered byC. G. Witt
Discovery siteBerlin Urania Obs.
Discovery date13 August 1898
Designations
(433) Eros
Pronunciation/ˈɪərɒs/[2]
Named after
Ἔρως, Érōs[3]
  • 1898 DQ
  • 1956 PC
AdjectivesErotian /ɛˈrʃ(i)ən/[4]
Symbol (astrological)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc53.89 yr (19,683 days)
Earliest precovery date29 October 1893
Aphelion1.7825 AU
Perihelion1.1334 AU
1.4579 AU
Eccentricity0.2226
1.76 yr (643 days)
71.280°
0° 33m 35.64s / day
Inclination10.828°
304.32°
178.82°
Earth MOID0.1505 AU (58.6 LD)
Mars MOID0.2407 AU
Physical characteristics
Dimensions
  • 16.84±0.06 km (mean diameter)[1][5]
  • 34.4 × 11.2 × 11.2 km[1][6]
Mass(6.687±0.003)×1015 kg[5]
Mean density
2.67±0.03 g/cm3[1][5]
5.270 h[1]
0.25±0.06[1]
7.0–15[7]
11.16[1]

433 Eros is a stony asteroid of the Amor group, and the first discovered, and second-largest near-Earth object. It has an elongated shape and a volume-equivalent diameter of approximately 16.8 kilometers (10.4 miles). Visited by the NEAR Shoemaker space probe in 1998, it became the first asteroid ever studied from its own orbit.

The asteroid was discovered by German astronomer C. G. Witt at the Berlin Observatory on 13 August 1898 in an eccentric orbit between Mars and Earth. It was later named after Eros, a god from Greek mythology, the son of Aphrodite. He is identified with the planet Venus.[3]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cite error: The named reference JPLdata-2017-06-04 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Eros". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ a b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(433) Eros". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 50. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_434. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  4. ^ John Amabile (2016) Changing the Worlds: The For-Profit Plan to Mine Asteroids and Terraform Two Planets in One Human Lifetime
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Yeomans-Antreas-etal-2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Baer-2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference NEODys-Eros-2137 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).