433 Eros
433 Eros was the first asteroid to be classified as “near-Earth” and the first to be studied from its own orbit. It should shine brightly enough to be observed over several weeks with a telescope or live online.
The asteroid 433 Erosthe first near-Earth asteroid ever discovered, will provide a special encounter with our planet this weekend.
On Sunday, November 30, 2025, the rocky body will make a relatively close pass, about 60 million kilometers from Earth — approximately 0.4 astronomical units, i.e. 40% of the average distance between the Earth and the Sun.
This is a completely safe distance, but short enough to allow good observations.
During this approach, Eros will pass just a few degrees from the bright core of the Andromeda Galaxy, our closest neighbor in the cosmos. Thanks to its considerable dimensions – around 34 × 11 × 11 kilometers – the asteroid should shine brightly enough to be observed over several weeks with amateur telescopes with a modest aperture, around 60 millimeters.
For those who do not have access to observation equipment or dark skies, the phenomenon can be followed online. The Virtual Telescope Project, in collaboration with the Asteroid Foundation, will broadcast the passage of Eros live this Sunday, starting at 8pm (Lisbon time) via this website.
Discovered in 1898, Eros was the first asteroid classified as “near-Earth”, recalls . The discovery is traditionally attributed to the German astronomer Gustav Witt and his assistant Felix Linke, at the Urania Observatory, in Berlin, although the object was identified, independently, by Auguste Charlois at the Nice Observatory, in France.
Humanity’s relationship with this asteroid intensified at the end of the 20th century. In 1998, the NEAR (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) Shoemaker probe was sent to study Eros, getting closer to about 3,800 kilometers. The instruments on board made it possible to characterize the size, shape, rotation and other physical properties of the asteroid.
On February 14, 2000, a symbolic date for a celestial body named after the Greek god of love, Eros became the first asteroid to be studied from its own orbit, when the probe came under its gravitational influence. In 2001, the mission also carried out the first controlled landing on an asteroid. Against initial expectations, NEAR Shoemaker remained operational after descent and managed to perform the first gamma-ray experiment from the surface of a body other than Earth, demonstrating the feasibility of installing scientific instruments directly on asteroids.
