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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
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Dog-Bone Shaped Asteroid 216 Kleopatra
Explanation: An asteroid the size of New Jersey that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter has been discovered to have an unusual dog-bone shape. Asteroid 216 Kleopatra , recently mapped with Earth-based radar , reflects radio waves so well that astronomers speculate it is composed mostly of metals such as nickel and iron . The unusual shape and composition of 216 Kleopatra may derive from the central regions of a tremendous collision between larger asteroids billions of years ago. Kleopatra is not completely solid - its surface is loosely consolidated rubble, although its core may contain large solid-metal lodes. Kleopatra will never strike the Earth , but it may one day serve as a valuable source of raw building materials.
| Date | May 10, 2000 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: Stephen Ostro et al. ( JPL ), Arecibo Radio Telescope , NSF , NASA |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |