• A large asteroid with many visible craters. The left side experiences a large shadow from being in the opposite direction of the sun.
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    This image mosaic of asteroid 253 Mathilde is constructed from four images acquired by the NEAR spacecraft on June 27, 1997. This was taken from a distance of 2,400 km (1,500 miles). Sunlight is coming from the upper right. The part of the asteroid shown is about 59 by 47 km (36 by 29 miles) across. Details as small as 380 meters (1,250 feet) can be discerned. The surface exhibits many large craters, including the deeply shadowed one at the center, which is estimated to be more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep.

  • A large asteroid with many visible craters. The left side experiences a large shadow from being in the opposite direction of the sun.

Created:

June 27, 1997

ID#:

WEB12107-2011

Source:

NASA/Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory

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NASA/Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory

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