Astronomy Picture of the Day
    


APOD: 2005 December 28- Smooth Sections on Asteroid Itokawa
<< Yesterday 28.12.2005 Tomorrow >>
APOD: 2005 December 28-  Smooth Sections on Asteroid Itokawa
Credit & Copyright: ISAS, JAXA
Explanation: What are parts of this asteroid's surface so smooth? No one is yet sure, but it may have to do with the dynamics of an asteroid that is a loose pile of rubble rather than a solid rock. The unusual asteroid is currently being visited by the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa that is documenting its unusual structure and mysterious lack of craters. Last month, Hayabusa actually touched down on one of the smooth patches, dubbed the MUSES Sea, and collected soil samples that will eventually be returned to Earth for analysis. Unfortunately, the robot Hayabusa craft has been experiencing communications problems and so its departure for Earth has been delayed until 2007. Computer simulations show that asteroid 500-meter asteroid Itokawa may impact the Earth within the next few million years.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
 < December 2005  >
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su



1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.

Based on Astronomy Picture Of the Day

Publications with keywords: asteroid
Publications with words: asteroid
See also:
All publications on this topic >>