wet1
09-24-02, 10:11 PM
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0209/1998ky26_three_ostro.jpg
Asteroid 1998 KY26
Credit: NASA, JPL, image courtesy of Steve Ostro
A day is just under 11 minutes long on 1998 KY26,
a 30 meter wide, fast-spinning, water-rich asteroid.
This computer simulated view of its lumpy surface
has a resolution of about 3 meters and is based on
radar and optical observations (click on the image for
a series of surface views). The observations were made
shortly after the discovery of the diminutive world which
passed within about 800,000 kilometers of Earth, or about
2 times the Earth-Moon distance, in June of 1998. Around
10 million asteroids of similar size may exist in orbits that
also come near Earth's, but little is known about them.
However, spinning so fast, tiny 1998 KY26 can not be a
loose conglomerate held together by gravity alone. Instead
it is likely a monolithic chunk fragmented from a larger
asteroid. As the radar and optical data suggest 1998 KY26
has a high water content, this relatively accessible asteroid
could be a literal oasis for future space explorers.
Asteroid 1998 KY26
Credit: NASA, JPL, image courtesy of Steve Ostro
A day is just under 11 minutes long on 1998 KY26,
a 30 meter wide, fast-spinning, water-rich asteroid.
This computer simulated view of its lumpy surface
has a resolution of about 3 meters and is based on
radar and optical observations (click on the image for
a series of surface views). The observations were made
shortly after the discovery of the diminutive world which
passed within about 800,000 kilometers of Earth, or about
2 times the Earth-Moon distance, in June of 1998. Around
10 million asteroids of similar size may exist in orbits that
also come near Earth's, but little is known about them.
However, spinning so fast, tiny 1998 KY26 can not be a
loose conglomerate held together by gravity alone. Instead
it is likely a monolithic chunk fragmented from a larger
asteroid. As the radar and optical data suggest 1998 KY26
has a high water content, this relatively accessible asteroid
could be a literal oasis for future space explorers.