小行星？马铃薯？

2020 April 1

Asteroid or Potato?
Image Credit: Jack Sutton

Explanation: Is this asteroid Arrokoth or a potato? Perhaps, after all the data was beamed back to Earth from NASA’s robotic New Horizons spacecraft, the featured high resolution image of asteroid Arrokoth was constructed. Perhaps, alternatively, the featured image is of a potato. Let’s consider some facts. Arrokoth is the most distant asteroid ever visited and a surviving remnant of the early years of our Solar System. A potato is a root vegetable that you can eat. Happy April Fool’s Day from the folks at APOD! Although asteroid Arrokoth may look like a potato, in fact very much like the featured potato, Arrokoth (formerly known as Ultima Thule) is about 200,000 times wider and much harder to eat.

Activities: NASA Science at Home

Tomorrow’s picture: tubers in space

小行星？马铃薯？
影像提供: Jack Sutton

说明: 这到底是天空小行星还是马铃薯？真的有点难分办。在美国航太总署的新视野号太空船把所有的数据回传地球后，科学家得以建构出这幅天空小行星的高解析影像。只不过，它怎会这么像马铃薯？然而，天空小行星是人类飞行器造访过的最遥远小行星，也是太阳系形成初期孑遗下来的天体，而马铃薯是根类蔬菜，两者怎会搭在一起？APOD的编辑群于此祝大家愚人节快乐！虽然天空小行星也许形似马铃薯，或许也像极这幅主题影像里的马铃薯，但这颗先前名为天涯海角的小行星，比马铃薯宽上200,000倍，而且硬得啃不动。（asteroid Arrokoth天空小行星）

Activities: NASA Science at Home

明日的图片: open space