Watch the Asteroid Move!

This movie shows the asteroid moving against the background stars and galaxies over a period of 2 hours in September 2004, as seen with the ESO 8.2-m VLT array in Chile. Rapid brightness modulations can be seen as the asteroid rotates: The movie clearly illustrates how the object is streaking across the sky, but if you look closely you can actually see the asteroid's brightness modulating periodically. It's unusual to see this directly on such a movie but the stable conditions at the VLT and the power of the telescope allowed this modulation to show up quite well.

Credit:

A. Fitzsimmons

About the Video

Id:eso0711a
Release date:7 March 2007
Related releases:eso0711
Duration:12 s
Frame rate:30 fps

About the Object

Name:asteroid 2000 PH5
Type:Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Asteroid
Category:Solar System

Legacy Videos

Legacy Video
6.8 MB