Boulder Feature Northwest of Site Nightingale

Boulder Feature Northwest of Site Nightingale

This image shows boulder features on asteroid Bennu’s surface in the region directly northwest of sample site Nightingale. Fine-grained material is visible in the crevices of the large boulder. The image was taken by the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on January 22, from a distance of 0.4 miles (0.6 km). The field of view is 30 ft (9 m). For reference, the fracture down the middle of the large boulder is 13.8 ft (4.2 m) long, which is about the size of a small car. The small, bright pebble sitting on the boulder in the center of the image is 1 inch (2.6 cm) wide, the size of a cherry tomato. The image was obtained during the mission’s Reconnaissance B phase. When it was taken, the spacecraft was over the northern hemisphere, pointing PolyCam south and to the west.

Date Taken: Jan. 22, 2020

Instrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

Downloads:

Boulder Feature Northwest of Site Nightingale

Downloads:

Subscribe for all mission updates.