From NASA's Planetary Photojournal
While NEAR Shoemaker orbits Eros, the asteroid is too large for the camera's field of view. To get a complete view of the surface from a particular vantage point, several images by draping the digital images returned by the spacecraft over a computer model of the asteroid's shape. This view -- looking down on the north polar region -- was constructed from six images taken February 29, 2000, from an orbital altitude of about 200 kilometers (124 miles). This vantage point highlights the major physiographic features of the northern hemisphere: the saddle seen at the bottom; the 5.3-kilometer (3.3-mile) diameter crater at the top; and a major ridge system running between the two features that spans at least one-third of the asteroid's circumference.
Image Title: Mosaic of Eros' Northern Hemisphere
Catalog #: PIA02923
Target Name: Eros
Spacecraft: Near Shoemaker
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