Gauss invented a new method of calculating orbits on that occasion. A few asteroids do not move in orbits beyond the orbit of Mars, but in orbits that cross the orbit of Mars. The first of them was named Eros because of this peculiar orbit. It had become the rule to bestow female names on the asteroids, but when it was found that Eros crossed the orbit of a major planet, it received a male name. Hence there is very little danger of collision from these bodies.
Some scientists believe the asteroids represent the remains of an exploded planet.
It was the first close-up photo ever taken of an asteroid in space. Its surface is covered with a layer of loose rubble and its terrain is covered with several dozen small craters. The moon has been named Dactyl. NASA's Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft was launched on Feb. 17, 1996. The spacecraft reached asteroid 433 Eros in Dec. 1998, but because of engine problems its original mission to enter into the asteroid's orbit was aborted, and NEAR flew past Eros instead.