Image Examples of Asteroids
Channel: Dominik Hezel
Date: 2020-05-08

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Asteroids occur in numerous shapes. In many cases – e.g., Itokawa – they have a potato shape. The largest, such as Ceres, are round. Curious asteroids – e.g., Kleopatra – are shaped like a dog bone and likely the result of an asteroid-asteroid collision. Others have a captured moon, like Ida (20 km) and Dactyl (1 km). These are unstable, temporary constellations. The surfaces of asteroids are as well highly variable, in cases even on individual asteroids. Surfaces are mainly characterised by boulders, pebbles, planes, craters, or bright spots.

Image credits: NASA