Skip to comments.
Astronomy Picture of the Day -- The Regolith of Asteroid Eros
NASA ^
| June 19, 2011
| (see photo credit)
Posted on 06/18/2011 9:25:40 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: From fifty kilometers above asteroid Eros, the surface inside one of its largest craters appears covered with an unusual substance: regolith. The thickness and composition of the surface dust that is regolith remains a topic of much research. Much of the regolith on 433 Eros was probably created by numerous small impacts during its long history. In this representative-color view taken by the robot spacecraft NEAR-SHOEMAKER that orbited Eros in 2000 and 2001, brown areas indicate regolith that has been chemically altered by exposure to the solar wind during micrometeorite impacts. White areas are thought to have undergone relatively less exposure. The boulders visible inside the crater appear brown, indicating either that they are old enough to have a surface itself tanned by the solar wind, or that they have somehow become covered with some dark surface dust. This July, NASA's Dawn spacecraft will orbit giant main belt asteroid Vesta.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; astronomy; catastrophism; eros; science
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21 next last
[Credit: NEAR Project, JHU APL, NASA]
1
posted on
06/18/2011 9:25:46 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; married21; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; ...
I freely admit I'm kind of a weirdo, but this is my favorite shot since the revival of the APoD list.
2
posted on
06/18/2011 9:27:32 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Thanks Cincinna for this link -- http://www.friendsofitamar.org)
To: SunkenCiv
BTTT.
Regolith ( ) n. The layer of loose rock resting on bedrock, constituting the surface of most land. Also called mantle rock.
3
posted on
06/18/2011 9:28:48 PM PDT
by
PeaceBeWithYou
(De Oppresso Liber! (50 million and counting in Afghanistan and Iraq))
To: 75thOVI; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; Avoiding_Sulla; ...
Very cool, an impact crater on Eros, close-up.
4
posted on
06/18/2011 9:30:30 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Thanks Cincinna for this link -- http://www.friendsofitamar.org)
To: PeaceBeWithYou
5
posted on
06/18/2011 9:38:16 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Thanks Cincinna for this link -- http://www.friendsofitamar.org)
To: SunkenCiv
You’re not a weirdo.
I have a poster, a composite view of the surface of Ganymede taken many years ago on a flyby, and it is definitely out of this world!
6
posted on
06/18/2011 9:52:43 PM PDT
by
SatinDoll
(NO FOREIGN NATIONALS AS OUR PRESIDENT!)
To: SunkenCiv
I followed this mission closely. It was something to watch a nondescript blob grow into a complex object. I was most impressed by the
mpeg movies taken from "near" orbit.
7
posted on
06/18/2011 10:14:37 PM PDT
by
dr_lew
To: SunkenCiv
I could use some
scale to better appreciate this image. How big is, e.g., the largest boulder in the middle of the image?
Is it really correct to refer to regolith as "unusual?" After all, the Martian moons Deimos and Phobos are covered with it, our moon Luna is largely covered with it - wouldn't it be expected even here, on a celestial body the size of Eros?
Regards,
To: alexander_busek
Does it imply that Eros has gravity sufficient to hold on to its regolith?
9
posted on
06/19/2011 4:01:15 AM PDT
by
Rudder
(The Main Stream Media is Our Enemy---get used to it.)
To: SunkenCiv
It'll be very exciting when Dawn Mission visits Ceres in 2015. All we have right now is a fuzzy image from Hubble.
Depiction of Dawn firing its ion thruster en route to Ceres
10
posted on
06/19/2011 5:07:33 AM PDT
by
COBOL2Java
(Obama is the least qualified guy in whatever room he walks into.)
To: SunkenCiv
I wonder who will be the first one to build timeshares on the site.
To: left that other site
The process of compacting regolithic deposits into brick like building blocks is currently under study anticipating the possible real estate boom
12
posted on
06/19/2011 6:25:24 AM PDT
by
bert
(K.E. N.P. N.C. D.E. +12 ....( History is a process, not an event ))
To: bert
LOL! Don’t go on the tour! You’ll never get out without buying in!
To: left that other site
Too late, I bought Eros online, very reasonable.
14
posted on
06/19/2011 5:30:59 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Thanks Cincinna for this link -- http://www.friendsofitamar.org)
To: SunkenCiv
Hoo Boy!
Your first Invoice for your maintenance fee, taxes, Timeshare Membership, HOA Fee, and Club membership will come next month!
To: SunkenCiv
weirdoYa shoulda been with us on the 5 day roadtrip to Portland (Oregon). You think I wasn't gonna spend that extra bit of time to drive over to the coast, strip to my boxers, and run into that freezing cold ocean? Not a chance.
16
posted on
06/19/2011 7:58:50 PM PDT
by
bigheadfred
( He put... creatures... in our bodies... to control our minds.)
To: SunkenCiv
weirdoYa shoulda been with us on the 5 day roadtrip to Portland (Oregon). You think I wasn't gonna spend that extra bit of time to drive over to the coast, strip to my boxers, and run into that freezing cold ocean? Not a chance.
17
posted on
06/19/2011 7:58:56 PM PDT
by
bigheadfred
( He put... creatures... in our bodies... to control our minds.)
To: SunkenCiv
weirdoYa shoulda been with us on the 5 day roadtrip to Portland (Oregon). You think I wasn't gonna spend that extra bit of time to drive over to the coast, strip to my boxers, and run into that freezing cold ocean? Not a chance.
18
posted on
06/19/2011 7:59:03 PM PDT
by
bigheadfred
( He put... creatures... in our bodies... to control our minds.)
To: alexander_busek
This
Discover Magazine site has a version of this same photo, identifying it as the crater Psyche. ( If you imagine Eros as a ballet slipper, Psyche is on the center of its arched sole. ) Another illustration shows the layout of Eros with a 5km scale. I think the width of the APOD photo is about 3km. That puts the boulder maybe in the 100 meter range.
19
posted on
06/19/2011 9:10:38 PM PDT
by
dr_lew
To: SunkenCiv
Civ could you add me to your APOD ping list?
Thanks.
I was on the old one but that sort of disappeared a while back...
20
posted on
06/19/2011 9:11:21 PM PDT
by
mowowie
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson