This map [
http://near.jhuapl.…] of Eros was constructed from a mosaic of images recorded by the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft, currently orbiting the 40 x 14 x 14 kilometer asteroid. A simple cylindrical projection [
http://www.colorado…mapproj.html ] of an irregularly shaped world [
http://near.jhuapl.…], the map's individual images don't always match up at the edges. Shown here, place names have been proposed [
http://wwwflag.wr.u…nomen.html ] to describe the geography of Eros [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] with a fitting theme, though. They are based on romantic figures in the history and literature of the cultures of planet Earth. The largest feature, Himeros [
http://near.jhuapl.…], is a depression about 10 kilometers wide. In Greek mythology [
http://www.pantheon…], Himeros was an attendant of Eros and the personification of the longing of love. Today, after safely surveying Eros [
http://www.jhuapl.e…] for the past eight months, NEAR Shoemaker is scheduled to make a daring close approach [
http://www.jhuapl.e…] to the asteroid, briefly flying to within about 6 kilometers of its surface. Images returned [
http://near.jhuapl.…] from that distance are expected to show features less than 1 meter across.
Explanation
This map [
http://near.jhuapl.…] of Eros was constructed from a mosaic of images recorded by the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft, currently orbiting the 40 x 14 x 14 kilometer asteroid. A simple cylindrical projection [
http://www.colorado…mapproj.html ] of an irregularly shaped world [
http://near.jhuapl.…], the map's individual images don't always match up at the edges. Shown here, place names have been proposed [
http://wwwflag.wr.u…nomen.html ] to describe the geography of Eros [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] with a fitting theme, though. They are based on romantic figures in the history and literature of the cultures of planet Earth. The largest feature, Himeros [
http://near.jhuapl.…], is a depression about 10 kilometers wide. In Greek mythology [
http://www.pantheon…], Himeros was an attendant of Eros and the personification of the longing of love. Today, after safely surveying Eros [
http://www.jhuapl.e…] for the past eight months, NEAR Shoemaker is scheduled to make a daring close approach [
http://www.jhuapl.e…] to the asteroid, briefly flying to within about 6 kilometers of its surface. Images returned [
http://near.jhuapl.…] from that distance are expected to show features less than 1 meter across.
Explanation
