NASA spacecraft captures video of asteroid
JUN 14, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025390
Space.com : Launched in 2007 to study Vesta and Ceres, the two most massive members of the asteroid belt, NASA’s robotic spacecraft Dawn is already sending back scientifically significant photos of Vesta, even though the spacecraft is not scheduled to enter the second largest asteroid’s orbit until next month. The images reveal several intriguing features, including a dark blotch about 97 km wide near the equator of the 530-km-wide Vesta. Dawn will orbit and study Vesta for one year, then move on to investigate the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn will be comparing the two giant bodies, which were shaped by different forces, and scientists hope it will help unlock the secrets of our solar system’s early history.
© 2011 American Institute of Physics
