A mission to a distant asteroid just got an unexpected surprise

1 month ago 6

An artist's rendering of Hayabusa2 touching down on asteroid 1998 KY26.

A distant asteroid that a Japanese spacecraft is en route to visit could be a much harder target to reach than previously thought, according to new telescope data.

The asteroid, known as 1998 KY26, is about one-third the size of earlier estimates and spins about twice as fast in space as predicted, with each rotation taking just over five minutes. At about 36 feet wide, the asteroid is roughly the length of a school bus. It also reflects more sunlight than expected. ...

Source: https://mashable.com/article/asteroid-mission-japan-hayabusa-update

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