Near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa
Hayabusa, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's space probe, sent back its first pictures of near-Earth asteroid Itokawa (officially 25143 Itokawa) August 14, 2005. It wouldn't arrive in the vicinity of the asteroid until September 12 but it took some startling and interesting images.
Near-Earth objects, such as Itokawa, are those small solar system bodies whose orbits can bring it into close proximity to Earth. Itokawa is classified as a Potentially Hazardous Object (PHO), which means its orbit can bring it exceptionally close to Earth, and large enough to cause significant regional damage if it impacts Earth.
One small crater has been named Laurel, after Laurel, Maryland, just up the road from here, where APL/JHU is located.
JAXA has identified a number of surface features.
Itokawa's largest rock, about 50 m long.
The Muses Sea - a uniquely smooth area on Itokawa's surface.
The Woomera Desert
Itokawa from a different angle.
No comments:
Post a Comment