NEAR image of the day for 2000 Aug 10
 |
Toes of the Paw The large, 5.3-kilometer (3.3-mile) diameter crater that dominates Eros' western hemisphere is known among the NEAR team as "the paw." This picture, taken August 4, 2000, from an orbital altitude of 52 kilometers (33 miles), shows craters on the paw's southern rim. The three large craters that climb up the right side of the picture form the paw's "toes." Illumination from the high Sun brings out brightness patterns on the surface. In the nearest of the three craters, bright regolith has streamed slowly downslope to form tongue-like shapes. The whole scene is about 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) across.
(Image 0140777222)
Previous || Next || Image archive || TIFF image
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.