This image was taken from the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft on March 10, 2000 from a distance of 206 kilometers. The view is along the length of Eros. The asteroid's sunlit side at the centre of the image is about 10 kilometers from top to bottom. To provide a sense of scale, some famous man-made structures are shown at the base of the image. Since Eros is a small world, its gravity is weak. An astronaut on the surface could easily jump such structures.

This image displays many of the characteristic landforms found on this tiny world:

1. The surface is covered by craters of all sizes, right down to the limit of image resolution.

2. Many craters have conspicuous brightness markings on their inner walls. The two large craters at upper left are examples.

3. A ridge wraps around the asteroid's waist. Part of it is visible in the upper left of the image.

4. The asteroid's surface is scoured by 200 metre wide troughs or grooves. Several are visible near the centre of the image, running from the upper right to lower left.

5. Large boulders litter the surface. Three on the far horizon can be seen at the top of the image. Each is about 80 metres across - the width of a football oval.

Note: on 1st April 2000, the spacecraft will decend to within 100 km of the asteroid. Image resolution will then double.