Image of Asteroid Bennu from Earth Sept. 2005

Earth-Based View of Asteroid Bennu Sept. 2005

Every six years, orbits align so that Bennu makes a relatively close pass of Earth (in 2018, for example, Bennu comes within 0.352 AU or about 33 million miles of Earth). On Sept. 17, 2005, during one of these close passes, Bennu (then known as 1999 RQ36) was observed by researchers using the 1.5-m Kuiper telescope at the University of Arizona. This image had an exposure time of 60 seconds and was taken using the telescope’s ECAS w filter.

Date Taken: Sept. 17, 2005

Instrument Used: University of Arizona 1.5-m Kuiper Telescope

Credit: Carl Hergenrother/University of Arizona

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