Featured Image Credit: NASA JAXA / X/@MAstronomers
A fascinating image of an asteroid has been shared on social media and people are pretty blown away.
An asteroid is a rocky object – thought to consist of clay, silicate rocks, and nickel-iron.
Asteroids are among the most ancient objects in our solar system and are usually dark in colour.
Over on the Curiosity X page, a super clear image of an asteroid has been shared – and everyone is saying the same thing.
According to Curiosity, the asteroid in the image is named Ryugu and apparently, the photograph is the ‘clearest ever taken’.
Ryugu is a potentially dangerous asteroid, due to its proximity to Earth, but it’s a hugely important one, too.
NASA explain: “Asteroid Ryugu, a near-Earth and potentially hazardous asteroid, is classified as a Cb-type asteroid, which has a dark surface and a diameter of ~1 kilometer.
“It is considered to be made of water-rich and carbonaceous materials, important key elements that are relevant to life on Earth.
“The study of Ryugu and the returned carbonaceous samples will provide important information about the origin and evolution of the solar system, in particular, the inner planets.”
Despite the fascinating image showing the asteroid up close, people were more focussed on something else.
Now, we all know that space is a dark and frankly, quite terrifying place. But upon seeing the photo, many social media users said they felt ‘uneasy’ about the eery darkness.
One wrote: “The black is more interesting than the rocks… It’s just eternal endless darkness.”
While another said: “So weird that when you look up at night, you see all the stars, but Astronauts say its pitch black when they are in space. I dont get it.”
An asteroid is a rocky object – thought to consist of clay, silicate rocks, and nickel-iron. (Getty Stock Image)
And a third added: “Space is cold, dark, empty. This pic is wonderful, though.”
Last year, experts revealed the exact date an asteroid could smash into Earth.
The asteroid, named Bennu, is no stranger to our planet as it passes by every six years.
But in a day in September many years from now, there’s a chance the asteroid could actually make contact with our planet.
To prevent such a travesty, NASA has been working on plans to thwart the asteroid’s collision course and divert Bennu.
Its mission is now in the ‘final leg’, showing just how critical the situation has become.
Asteroid Bennu. (NASA)
Richard Burns, project manager for OSIRIS-REx at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland explained all the work that has been going on to divert it.
He said: “We are now in the final leg of this seven-year journey, and it feels very much like the last few miles of a marathon, with a confluence of emotions like pride and joy coexisting with a determined focus to complete the race well.”
NASA says while there is a risk, there is an ‘extremely small chance’ Bennu will hit Earth on September 24, 2182.
Topics: Space, Science, World News
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
