                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2021 October 23

                                  3D Bennu
   Image Credit: NASA, GSFC, U. Arizona - Stereo Image Copyright: Patrick
                                  Vantuyne

   Explanation: Put on your red/blue glasses and float next to asteroid
   101955 Bennu. Shaped like a spinning toy top with boulders littering
   its rough surface, the tiny Solar System world is about one Empire
   State Building (less than 500 meters) across. Frames used to construct
   this 3D anaglyph were taken by PolyCam on the OSIRIS_REx spacecraft on
   December 3, 2018 from a distance of about 80 kilometers. With a sample
   from the asteroid's rocky surface on board, OSIRIS_REx departed Bennu's
   vicinity this May and is now enroute to planet Earth. The robotic
   spacecraft is scheduled to return the sample to Earth in September
   2023.

                   Tomorrow's picture: a cross-quarter day
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

