This week has humanity reaching out to another asteroid, this one named Bennu, the target of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Bennu is not content to be a tumbling potato in space, but is rather geometric in shape, with even some flat facets that are eerily regular in appearance. One wonders what mechanism has produced such an enigmatic shape.
Bennu from about 50 miles away. (Click the image to see an animation.)
If all goes well, we’ll be getting a sample of the rubble-like surface in September 2023, and it may be some of the oldest stuff in our solar system. For more information, see:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasas-osiris-rex-spacecraft-arrives-at-asteroid-bennu