New Zealand Local Weather Forum
Climate and Science => Space, Science and Nature => Topic started by: Deano on December 22, 2012, 03:25:00 PM
-
Chang'e 2, a Chinese spacecraft that was orbiting the Moon 18 months ago, has wowed space-watchers around the world by returning detailed images of asteroid 4179 Toutatis taken during a close-in, high-speed flyby.
Confucius actually never said "A picture is worth a thousand words," but that well-known proverb's Chinese attribution (even if unfounded) is ringing true today. That's because we're getting our first looks at asteroid 4179 Toutatis as seen at close range by the Chang'e 2 spacecraft, which flew past the little asteroid two days ago. And those few images say a lot about what this potentially hazardous near-Earth object is all about.
Full story herehttp://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/newsblog/Toutatis-Revealed-by-Chinese-Spacecraft-183673171.html (http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/newsblog/Toutatis-Revealed-by-Chinese-Spacecraft-183673171.html)
(http://media.skyandtelescope.com/images/Chang%27e_Toutatis_series.jpg)