Only yesterday I realised that the next opposition of asteroid 433 Eros in late
January 2012 will be a close one. For the first time since 1975 the asteroid
will get as bright as magnitude +8, making it visible in small telescopes.

Such a close encounter did remind me of the 1901 and 1931 apparitions, which
were then used to measure the parallax of Eros, and ultimately that of the sun.
The value of the solar parallax obtained during the 1931 opposition (8".790) was
held to be definitive until 1968, when radar measurements took over!

So, there's this exciting opportunity next year to measure the sun's distance
twice using two classic and historically important methods: the transit of Venus
on June 5-6 and the opposition of Eros on January 31. This also lets us compare
the accuracy of both methods.

By taking simultaneous pictures of the asteroid from different places on earth
during the last days of January, its parallactic displacement can be measured.
If you would like to join this project and perform this unique experiment
together with others, please drop me a message. I know it's on short notice, but
it's not too late to get things organised!

Steven van Roode
www.transitofvenus.nl
info@...