Japan's Hayabusa2 photographs peanut-shaped asteroid Torifune on July 5 flyby
Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft just snapped some cool photos of an odd, peanut-shaped asteroid called Torifune during its July 5 flyby.
Floating nearly 100 million kilometers from Earth and measuring about 450 meters across, scientists believe Torifune was formed when two smaller space rocks gently merged billions of years ago.
Scientists are excited because its rocky surface could reveal how asteroids (and even planets) first came together.
Hayabusa2 extends mission toward 1998 KY26
Hayabusa2 isn't new to adventure: it previously brought back samples from asteroid Ryugu that included water-bearing minerals and organic molecules. After dropping those off on Earth in 2020, the mission got extended to check out more asteroids.
The Torifune visit kicks off this new chapter, with the spacecraft now headed toward asteroid 1998 KY26 (arriving in 2031).
All these flybys help improve navigation technology, and could even inform future planetary defense plans.