Overview
A Japanese spacecraft conducted a flyby of an asteroid, capturing images that revealed it to be a "contact binary." This classification refers to a celestial body composed of two space rocks that have merged.
Approach
The observation involved a Japanese spacecraft executing a flyby maneuver near an asteroid. During this flyby, the spacecraft acquired photographic data of the asteroid. Analysis of these images led to the identification of the asteroid's structural characteristics.
Findings
The spacecraft's imagery confirmed the asteroid's structure as a "contact binary." This specific configuration indicates that the asteroid is formed from two distinct space rocks that have fused together.