Asteroid Eros: How to Watch 'Love Asteroid' in Earth Flyby

Asteroid Eros Approaches Earth: Closest Approach to Earth in 37 Years

Asteroid 433 Eros ("the Love Asteroid") is approaching Earth, and will make its closest flyby in 37 years. On January 31, 2012, you will be able to watch Asteroid Eros in the night sky if you have a telescope.

Asteroid 433 Eros is 21miles wide, and passed the Earth at a closest distance of 16.6 million miles. So, no, there is no danger whatsoever of Asteroid Eros hitting the Earth.

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Asteroid 433 Eros (NASA Image)

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If you're into astronomy, check out Sky & Telescope's Asteroid Eros page, which also has a downloadable sky map.

Asteroid Eros was first spotted in 1898 by astronomers Carl Gustav Witt in Germany and Auguste Charlois in France.

Asteroid Eros made its way into modern astronomers' hearts in 1931, when its proximity to Earth helped astronomers revise their understanding of the scale of the solar system.