Asteroid Kleopatra from different angles (IMAGE)

ESO

Asteroid Kleopatra from different angles

Caption

These eleven images are of the asteroid Kleopatra, viewed at different angles as it rotates. The images were taken at different times between 2017 and 2019 with the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE) instrument on ESO’s VLT. Kleopatra orbits the Sun in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers have called it a “dog-bone asteroid” ever since radar observations around 20 years ago revealed it has two lobes connected by a thick “neck”.

Credit

ESO/Vernazza, Marchis et al./MISTRAL algorithm (ONERA/CNRS)

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License

CC BY

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