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Compass and Scale Image for Binary Asteroid 2006 VW139/288P

Compass and Scale Image for Binary Asteroid 2006 VW139/288P

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    Data were provided by the HST proposals 12597, 14790, 14864, 14884.
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3/UVIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    August 22 - September 29, 2016
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F606W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    288P
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    A binary comet system
  • Release Date
    September 20, 2017
  • Science Release
    Comet or Asteroid? Hubble Discovers that a Unique Object is a Binary
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Science Release Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Agarwal (Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research)

Downloads

  • Full Res, 1200 × 2250
    tif (1.99 MB)
  • Full Res, 1200 × 2250
    png (1.95 MB)
  • 534 × 1000
    png (414.35 KB)
  • 1067 × 2000
    png (1.21 MB)
Compass and Scale Image for Binary Asteroid 2006 VW139/288P
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images represent several exposures acquired by the WFC3/UVIS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Color has been applied to the grayscale (black&white) images; the brightness maps to different color values.

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Binary Asteroid System 2006 VW139/288P

Binary Asteroid System 2006 VW139/288P

This set of Hubble Space Telescope photos reveals two asteroids orbiting each other that have comet-like features. These include a bright halo of material, called a coma, and a long tail of dust. The asteroid pair, called 2006 VW139/288P, was observed in September 2016 just...

Binary Asteroid System 2006 VW139/288P from August 22, 2016

Time-Lapse of Binary Asteroid System 2006 VW139/288P (Smoothed)

This time-lapse video, assembled from a set of Hubble Space Telescope photos, reveals two asteroids orbiting each other that have comet-like features. The asteroid pair, called 2006 VW139/288P, was observed in September 2016, just before the asteroid made its closest approach to...

Binary Asteroid System 2006 VW139/288P from August 22, 2016

Time-Lapse of Binary Asteroid System 2006 VW139/288P

This time-lapse video, assembled from a set of Hubble Space Telescope photos, reveals two asteroids orbiting each other that have comet-like features. The asteroid pair, called 2006 VW139/288P, was observed in September 2016, just before the asteroid made its closest approach to...

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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