First near-Earth asteroid discovered

According to Official Guinness Records,

In 1898, the astronomers Carl Gustav Witt (Germany) and Auguste Charlois
(France) independently discovered the asteroid 433 Eros, its curious orbit bringing it closer to Earth than other asteroid. It was classed as a near-Earth asteroid, in that it approached the Earth closer than any major planet, and given (at the time) an unconventional male name, after the Greek god of love.
Eros 433 will next pass the Earth at a distance of 0.179 astronomical units (26.7 million km;16.6 million miles) on 31 January 2012.

For a complete list of 1898 records, please visit 1898 Guinness Records in Germany.

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Content last updated on 2018-11-27