Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                  2019 May 24
                                      [2]
                              Boulders on Bennu
    Image Credit: NASA [3] , Goddard Space Flight Center [4] , University of
                                  Arizona [5]

Explanation: An abundance of boulders litters the surface asteroid 101955
Bennu [6]  in this dramatic close-up from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Taken on
March 28 from a distance of just 3.4 kilometers (2.1 miles) the field of view
is about 50 meters across while the light colored boulder at top right is 4.8
meters tall. Likely a loose conglomerate rubble pile asteroid, Bennu itself
[7]  spans less than 500 meters. That's about the height of the Empire State
Building. Mapping the near Earth [8]  asteroid since the spacecraft's arrival
in December of 2018, the OSIRIS-REx mission [9] plans a TAG (Touch-and-Go)
maneuver for July 2020 to sample Bennu's rugged surface, returning the sample
to planet Earth in September 2023. Citizen scientists have been invited to
help choose the sample collection site. [10]

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
< [11] | Archive [12] | Submissions [13] | Index [14] | Search [15] | Calendar
  [16] | RSS [17] | Education [18] | About APOD [19] | Discuss [20] | > [21]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [22] (MTU [23] ) & Jerry Bonnell [24]
                                  (UMCP [25] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [26] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [27]
              A service of: ASD [28]  at NASA [29]  / GSFC [30]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [31]
----------
Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1905/pdco-20190328-up-slope-to-limb.jpg
  [3] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [4] https://www.nasa.gov/goddard
  [5] https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/research/orex
  [6] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/
asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/101955-bennu/in-depth/
  [7] ap181213.html
  [8] ap190502.html
  [9] https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex
  [10] https://www.nasa.gov/feature/
nasa-invites-public-to-help-asteroid-mission-choose-sample-site
  [11] ap190523.html
  [12] archivepix.html
  [13] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [14] lib/aptree.html
  [15] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [16] calendar/allyears.html
  [17] /apod.rss
  [18] lib/edlinks.html
  [19] lib/about_apod.html
  [20] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=190524
  [21] ap190525.html
  [22] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [23] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [24] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [25] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [26] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [27] http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [28] http://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [29] http://www.nasa.gov/
  [30] http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [31] http://www.mtu.edu/

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A43 (Windows/32)