Credit: NASA
NASA’s Swift Observatory caught space rock 2005 YU55 as it zoomed past Earth in the early morning hours of November 9th.
The telescopes aboard the Swift spacecraft joined professional and amateur astronomers around the globe in monitoring the fast-moving Near Earth Object (NEO).
The unique ultraviolet data will aid scientists in understanding the asteroid’s surface composition.
“Swift’s ultraviolet and X-ray capability gives scientists a unique perspective on comets and asteroids, expanding the spectral window beyond the radio, infrared and optical observations so well handled by big ground-based facilities,” said Sergio Campana, a Swift team member at Brera Observatory in Merate, Italy.
Classified as a potentially hazardous object, 2005 YU55 poses no threat of a collision with Earth for at least the next century.
But understanding the details of how the asteroid’s surface reflects light and heat will allow improved assessments of future hazards. A body in space absorbs sunlight and reradiates the energy as heat, and both of these processes produce a miniscule force that, over time, can alter the object’s motion.
The movie of 2005 YU55 at ultraviolet wavelengths was unobtainable from ground-based telescopes. For planetary scientists, this movie is a treasure trove of data that will help them better understand how this asteroid is put together.
Check the video out at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/swift/bursts/asteroid-yu55.html
By Leonard David