Eros: Bland Butterscotch Colours | PIA02475 | ||
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These
colour images of Eros was acquired by NEAR on February 12, 2000, at a range
of 1800 km during the final approach imaging sequence prior to orbit insertion.
A 5.5 hour long sequence of images covering visible and infrared wavelengths was taken at that time, to provide a global overview of the colour and spectral properties of the asteroid. |
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Image Credit: Johns Hopkins University / Applied Physics Laboratory, NASA. | |||
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The images show approximately the colour that Eros would appear to the unaided human eye. Eros' subtle butterscotch hue at visible wavelengths is nearly uniform across the surface. Two days after these images were taken, mapping by NEAR's infrared spectrometer showed that Eros exhibits a great deal more variety at longer wavelengths. These variations could be due to differences in texture or composition of the surface. | ![]() |
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