Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

NEAR at Eros: Before Touchdown

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 12, 2005 is “NEAR at Eros: Before Touchdown,” an image. It is credited to Credit: NEAR Project , JHUAPL , NASA Image Montage by Patrick Vantuyne. The original explanation runs about 132 words.

NEAR at Eros: Before Touchdown
Credit: NEAR Project , JHUAPL , NASA Image Montage by Patrick Vantuyne Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“On 12 February, 2001, the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft gently touched-down on the surface of Eros — the first ever landing on an asteroid .”

— APOD editors, February 12, 2005

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
February 12, 2005
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: NEAR Project , JHUAPL , NASA Image Montage by Patrick Vantuyne
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 132 words

All of February 2005 → · 2005 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 12 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Source

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.