Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has published a sensational pictures of the mysterious object is docked to the asteroid "Itokawa".
Any comments regarding the site, the Agency was not given, but are now becoming apparent cause of a problem accompanying the mission to study this asteroid, carried out by the space probe "Hayabusa".
Where is the craters on the asteroid Itokawa? They do not exist, which is quite unexpected. Japanese automatic probe Hayabusa in 2005 approached the asteroid that may cross Earth's orbit. The device passed the photos showing the surface is not similar to any of all photographed still in the solar system - surface devoid of craters. How to explain the absence of such common circular depressions?
When Japanese scientists discovered cans of sterile compartments space probe Hayabusa, committed mission to the asteroid Itokawa , they hoped that in the tanks unit has at least a small amount of material for analysis. And their expectations were met . Research probe delivered particles (dust ) asteroid , although it was insignificant amount . Scientists have found that altering substance on the surface of Itokawa is and given that the asteroid was subjected to prolonged heating at temperatures up to 800 degrees , these changes do not correspond to those expected from an asteroid of this size (asteroid Itokawa currently has a size of about 500 m in diameter ) . It was therefore concluded that the asteroid Itokawa , actually is , remains much larger asteroid ( greater than 20 km in diameter ) , which was destroyed . This is a classic pile of rubble that was formed attraction and collected in a small mixed together under the influence of gravity.
Due to a variety of data analysis revealed that different parts like peanut cosmic body have different densities . This means that it was formed as a result of the collision of two bodies smaller .
Astronomers have determined that the asteroid The so-called Yarkovsky effect , which determines the change in velocity and the axis of rotation of a small celestial body under the influence of solar heat.
Because of this effect, the rotational speed of the asteroid Itokawa increases slowly : change the rotation period is only 0.045 seconds per year. Theoretical calculations predicted another, far greater figure , which means that the density of the celestial body is uneven . One half of Itokawa has a density of 1750 kilograms per cubic meter , while the other - 2850 kilograms per cubic meter .
