Eros is a large asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified Eros as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.
Eros orbits the sun every 643 days (1.76 years), coming as close as 1.13 AU and reaching as far as 1.78 AU from the sun. Eros is about 16.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.
The rotation of Eros has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.27 hours.
Eros's spectral type S (Tholen) / S (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .
Eros's orbit is 0.15 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.
Eros has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 24, 2056 | 22,407,414 | 5.821 |
| Jan. 31, 2093 | 27,296,597 | 5.975 |
| Jan. 25, 2137 | 22,359,561 | 5.814 |
| Feb. 3, 2174 | 28,184,680 | 6.006 |
| Jan. 17, 2181 | 29,622,418 | 5.990 |
Eros's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 29, 1893. It was last officially observed on May 13, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 9,130 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of Eros is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.