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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

Asteroid Annefrank

Explanation: NASA 's interplanetary probe STARDUST , on its way to Comet Wild 2 in January 2004, passed asteroid 5535 Annefrank earlier this month. Annefrank , named for a holocaust victim who kept a famous diary , is a member of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter . Just prior to closest approach at about 3300 km distant, the robot spacecraft took the above picture . Although images obtained were not detailed enough to resolve much of the asteroid's surface, the size, reflectivity, and general shape of the asteroid were recorded . At 6 kilometers across, asteroid Annefrank turned out to be larger -- and darker -- than expected.

Deadline Approaching: Send your name to Mars!

Date November 13, 2002
Credit Credit: STARDUST Team , JPL , NASA
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.