(1st Movie) of Asteroid 2005 YU55..!

[jackovesk]

Using radar data, scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory created this six-frame movie of asteroid 2005 YU55. The data was obtained Nov. 7, 2011 using NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar (located at the Deep Space Network facility in Goldstone, Ca.) At the time, the space rock was approximately 860,000 miles (1.38 million kilometers) away from Earth. At its closest approach on Nov. 8, 2011, YU55 will be about 200,000 miles from Earth. It poses no threat.

Resolution is 4 meters per pixel.

The movie is looped 5 times.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIwX0Qeid9o&feature=player_embedded

[jcocks]

Hmm... I think I'll be waiting for some "insider testimony" as to whether there was anything interesting on/in that chunk of rock or not....

[eric charles]

Hmm... I think I'll be waiting for some "insider testimony" as to whether there was anything interesting on/in that chunk of rock or not....

Waiting for an Insider eh hehehehe Richard Hoaxland already covered that LOLOLOLOLOL

sorry i just had to say it hihihhihihi

[SaiphStar]

I'd like to understand what the 'puzzling structures' are that were referenced in regard to YU55. Nasa provided a little more information earlier today (11/11/11).

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/asteroids/news/yu55-20111111.html

"The encounter with 2005 YU55 has produced an enormous amount of data that is still being processed." said radar astronomer Lance Benner, the principal investigator for the 2005 YU55 Goldstone observations, from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "The sequence of images we obtained shows unprecedented fine-scale detail on this asteroid, which is comparable in size to the Empire State Building. The Goldstone images show evidence for concavities, a ridge near the asteroid's equator, and numerous features that may be large boulders."