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Image of asteroid Bennu created using 8 images obtained on October 29, 2018, by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from a distance of 205 miles (330 km). Image via NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona / IAC.
NASA's first mission to a near-Earth asteroid – 101955 Bennu – is now on its final approach, due to arrive December 3. The image above is one of the first to appear asteroid, processed by researchers from the Astrophysical Institute of Canarias (IAC), who are part of the mission's scientific team. Javier Licandro and Julia de Leon of the IAC started working on the calibration of this image in preparation for the day that will be obtained in December 2018, using color filters. A statement from IAC explained:
These first images of Bennu present a remarkable similarity with the ones recently obtained by the JAXA Hayabusa2 mission of another primitive asteroid, Ryugu. The fact that the Japanese mission has reached its target, is one of the most important things in the world.
The studies done by the IAC team will also help to select the region on the surface of the asteroid where a sample will be collected. The sample will be returned to the Earth in 2023.
Read more via IAC
Visit the OSIRIS-REx mission's website
The size of Bennu asteroid, which is 1,614 feet (492 meters) wide, compared with the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower in this NASA image.
Bottom line: The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft – launched from Earth in September 2016 – has begun acquiring images of the mission target, Bennu primitive asteroid, and scientists have begun processing them.
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