New Space Photos: A Relic Of The Solar System's Birth?
Europe's Rosetta space probe performed a pretty impressive feat this weekend. Trucking along at about 10 miles per hour — more than 280 million miles from Earth — it did a "fly-by" photoshoot of Asteroid Lutetia. Scientists have long wondered about the asteroid's unusual shape, but this is their first close-up look. The photos reveal a craggy surface, suggesting that Lutetia may be as old as it gets — a remnant of the solar system's birth.
According to this article, "The probe used multi-wavelength cameras and spectrometers, magnetic field and plasma experiments, dust instruments and a radio science experiment to collect as much information as possible."
Um, I think I'll stick to my camera.
Asteroid Lutetia fades in the shadow after Rosetta's passing ESA 2010 MPS for OSIRIS Team hide caption
Asteroid Lutetia fades in the shadow after Rosetta's passing
ESA 2010 MPS for OSIRIS Team