NEAR image of the day for 2000 Aug 04
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Vertigo NEAR Shoemaker's images of Eros' horizon have provided us with breathtaking views of how different the skyline can be on another world. This picture, taken July 22, 2000, from an orbital altitude of 43 kilometers (27 miles), is a rare treat because it captures important information about Eros while playing with the viewer's senses. Here one of the asteroid's boulder fields decorates the skyline, but the orientation of the camera at the time the image was taken gives the illusion that the relatively gentle topography of the area really lies on a steep cliff. The whole scene is about 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) across.
(Image 0138850514)
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Built and managed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, NEAR-Shoemaker was the first spacecraft launched in NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost, small-scale planetary missions. See the NEAR web site for more details. Feedback to Scott Murchie. Scott.Murchie@jhuapl.edu.