Astronomy Picture of the Day · February 15, 1996

NEAR to an Asteroid

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 15, 1996 is “NEAR to an Asteroid,” an image. It is credited to Credit: NASA, JPL, Galileo Project. The original explanation runs about 163 words.

From the explanation

“Excitement mounts as NASA’s Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft nears launch – currently scheduled for 3:53 ET on February 16. NEAR’s mission is to become the first spacecraft to rendezvous with and orbit an asteroid , the asteroid designated 433 Eros.”

— APOD editors, February 15, 1996

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: February 15, 1996
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: NASA, JPL, Galileo Project
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 163 words

All of February 1996 → · 1996 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Asteroids

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: February 15 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, February 15, 1996 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1996-february-15-near-to-an-asteroid

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.