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> Asteroids Ida and Dactyl seen by Galileo spacecraft

Asteroids Ida and Dactyl seen by Galileo spacecraft

author: Nasa/JPL/Novapix

reference: a-ast01-00020

Image Size 300 DPI: 14 * 10 cm

This is the first full picture showing both asteroid 243 Ida and its newly discovered moon to be transmitted to Earth from the NASA's Galileo spacecraft--the first conclusive evidence that natural satellites of asteroids exist. Ida, the large object, is about 56 kilometers (35 miles) long. Ida's natural satellite is the small object to the right. This portrait was taken by Galileo's camera on August 28, 1993, about 14 minutes before the Jupiter-bound spacecraft's closest approach to the asteroid, from a range of 10,870 kilometers (6,755 miles). Ida is a heavily cratered, irregularly shaped asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter--the 243rd asteroid to be discovered since the first was found at the beginning of the 19th century. Ida is a member of a group of asteroids called the Koronis family. The small satellite is about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) across in this view.

Keywords for this photo:

1993 - ASTEROID - ASTRONOMY - DACTYL - FALSE COLOR - GALILEO - IDA - IMPACT CRATER - SATELLITE -