Figure 7-7: R I V U X G
An Asteroid The asteroid shown in this image, 433 Eros, is only 33 km (21 mi) long and 13 km (8 mi) wide—about the same size as the island of Manhattan. Because Eros is so small, its gravity is too weak to have pulled it into a spherical shape. This image was taken in 2000 by NEAR Shoemaker, the first spacecraft to orbit around and land on an asteroid.
An Asteroid The asteroid shown in this image, 433 Eros, is only 33 km (21 mi) long and 13 km (8 mi) wide—about the same size as the island of Manhattan. Because Eros is so small, its gravity is too weak to have pulled it into a spherical shape. This image was taken in 2000 by NEAR Shoemaker, the first spacecraft to orbit around and land on an asteroid.
(NEAR Project, NLR, JHUAPL, Goddard SVS, NASA)