The Largest Rock Known
Explanation:
There, that faint dot in the center -
that's the largest rock known.
It is larger than every known
asteroid,
moon, and
comet nucleus.
It is larger than any
other rocky planet.
(Nobody knows for sure what size rocks
lie at the cores of
Jovian planets, or orbit other stars.)
The
Voyager 1 spacecraft took
this picture in 1990 from the outer
Solar System.
This rock is so large its
gravity makes it nearly spherical,
and holds heavy gases near its surface.
Yesterday, this rock started another orbit around its
parent star,
for roughly the 5 billionth time,
spinning over 350 times during each trip.
Happy
Gregorian Calendar
New Year to all the human inhabitants of
this rock we call
Earth.
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.
