A European space probe headed toward its next target Sunday after sending back detailed images of an asteroid that scientists hope will increase understanding of how the solar system evolved.
Pictures of the asteroid Lutetia from the Rosetta probe’s deep space fly-by Saturday are some of the most detailed ever taken, the European Space Agency said.
The images, taken while the probe raced by at 15 kilometers (9 miles) per second, show a deeply pockmarked, irregular rock — possibly left over from the birth of the solar system.
Holger Sierks with the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research described the asteroid as “a very old object” in a statement Saturday.
“Tonight we have seen a remnant of the solar system’s creation,” he said.
The surface of the asteroid, shaped like a big potato, has deep craters covering its 130-kilometer length.
The Rosetta craft came within 3,162 km (1,965 miles) of Lutetia, orbiting just beyond Mars.
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Article courtesy cnn.com
