Editing 433 Eros (section)

==Physical characteristics==
[[Surface gravity]] depends on the distance from a spot on the surface to the center of a body's mass. Eros's surface gravity varies greatly because Eros is not a sphere but an elongated peanut-shaped object. The daytime temperature on Eros can reach about {{convert|100|C|K}} at [[perihelion]]. Nighttime measurements fall near {{convert|-150|C|K}}. Eros's density is 2.67&nbsp;[[Gram per cubic centimetre|g/cm<sup>3</sup>]], about the same as the density of Earth's crust.

NEAR scientists have found that most of the larger rocks strewn across Eros were ejected from a single [[impact crater|crater]] in an impact approximately 1&nbsp;billion years ago.<ref name=Thomas-Veverka-2001/> (The crater involved was proposed to be named "Shoemaker", but is not recognized as such by the [[International Astronomical Union]] (IAU), and has been formally designated Charlois Regio.) This event may also be responsible for the 40&nbsp;percent of the Erotian surface that is devoid of craters smaller than 0.5&nbsp;kilometers across. It was originally thought that the debris thrown up by the collision filled in the smaller craters. An analysis of crater densities over the surface indicates that the areas with lower crater density are within 9 kilometers of the impact point. Some of the lower density areas were found on the opposite side of the asteroid but still within 9&nbsp;kilometers.<ref name=Thomas-Robinson-2005/>

It is thought that [[seismic]] shockwaves propagate through the asteroid, shaking smaller craters into rubble. Since Eros is irregularly shaped, parts of the surface antipodal to the point of impact can be within 9&nbsp;kilometres of the impact point (measured in a straight line through the asteroid) even though some intervening parts of the surface are more than 9&nbsp;kilometres away in straight-line distance. A suitable analogy would be the distance from the top centre of a bun to the bottom centre as compared to the distance from the top centre to a point on the bun's circumference: top-to-bottom is a longer distance than top-to-periphery when measured along the surface but shorter than it in direct straight-line terms.<ref name=Thomas-Robinson-2005/>
Compression from the same impact is believed to have created the [[thrust fault]] Hinks Dorsum.<ref name=Watters-Thomas-2011/>

A phenomenon named [[dust ponds]] were discovered in the asteroid in October 2000. Dust ponds are a phenomenon where pockets of dust are seen in airless celestial bodies. These are smooth deposits of dust accumulated in depressions on the surface of the body (like craters), contrasting from the rocky terrain around them. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/eross-puzzling-surface/|title=Eros's puzzling surface|website=skyandtelescope.org|accessdate=18 October 2023|archive-date=18 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018100743/https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/eross-puzzling-surface/|url-status=live}}</ref> They typically have different color and [[albedo]] compared to the surrounding areas. The asteroid contains lots of large craters more than 200 m in diameter. Their number is near to the saturation point of these craters. But craters smaller than that are relatively low. Suggesting that some process of erasure has covered them up. The floors of some craters are covered with smooth and flat areas (less than 10° slope). Such [[dust ponds]] are characterized by slightly bluer colour compared to the surrounding terrain. 334 of such ponds are identified, with a diameter of 10m. 255 of these are larger than 30m, and 231 (or 91%) are found within 30° from equator.  

Data from the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft collected on Eros in December 1998 suggests that it could contain 20 billion tonnes of aluminum and similar amounts of metals that are rare on Earth, such as gold and platinum.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gold rush in space? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/401227.stm |website=BBC News |access-date=13 December 2014 |archive-date=24 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724193914/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/401227.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>