ScienceHayabusa2 reportedly confirms Torifune is a contact-binary asteroid
@exploreplanets reports that the July 5 flyby came within 400 meters (1,300 feet) of Torifune, confirming it consists of two lobes stuck together.
TLDR
JAXA’s Hayabusa2 confirmed that asteroid Torifune is a contact binary—two lobes stuck together—during a July 5 flyby, @exploreplanets reports. The account invites listeners to Planetary Radio for a discussion of what the extended-mission flyby revealed and what it means for planetary defense.
Hayabusa2 reportedly confirms Torifune is a contact-binary asteroid
@exploreplanets reports that the July 5 flyby came within 400 meters (1,300 feet) of Torifune, confirming it consists of two lobes stuck together.
TLDR
JAXA’s Hayabusa2 confirmed that asteroid Torifune is a contact binary—two lobes stuck together—during a July 5 flyby, @exploreplanets reports. The account invites listeners to Planetary Radio for a discussion of what the extended-mission flyby revealed and what it means for planetary defense.