Hayabusa2’s next target is smaller and faster than we thought | ESO News
About this episode
Astronomers have discovered that the next target for Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft is smaller and faster than previously thought.
Astronomers have discovered that the next target for Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft, the asteroid 1998 KY26, is almost three times smaller than previously thought, and spinning much faster than expected. This study was conducted using ESO’s Very Large Telescope, and its results offer important new information for the upcoming mission, just six years out from the spacecraft’s encounter with this tiny asteroid.
Topics covered
- asteroid
- spacecraft
- astronomy
- ESO
- Hayabusa2
- research
- mission
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: European Southern Observatory, Hayabusa2, ESO
Places: Japan, 1998 KY26
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