Dog-Bone Shaped Asteroid 216 Kleopatra
Explanation:
An
asteroid the size of
New Jersey that orbits the
Sun between
Mars and
Jupiter
has been discovered to have an unusual dog-bone shape.
Asteroid 216 Kleopatra, recently mapped with Earth-based
radar, reflects
radio waves so well that
astronomers speculate it is composed mostly of metals such as
nickel and
iron.
The unusual shape and composition of
216 Kleopatra may derive from the central regions of a
tremendous collision between larger
asteroids billions of years ago.
Kleopatra is not completely solid - its surface is
loosely consolidated rubble, although its core may
contain large solid-metal lodes.
Kleopatra will never
strike the Earth,
but it may one day serve as a valuable source of raw building materials.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
