Asteroid 1999 RQ36

These series of radar images of asteroid 1999 RQ36 were obtained by NASA's Deep Space Network antenna in Goldstone, California on September 23, 1999.

NASA detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets passing close to Earth using both ground- and space-based telescopes. The Near-Earth Object Observations Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, commonly called "Spaceguard," discovers these objects, characterizes some of them, and plots their orbits to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Note: For more information, see NASA Scientist Figures Way to Weigh Space Rock.