Radar observations of asteroid 216 kleopatra
Radar observations of the main-belt, M-class asteroid 216 Kleopatra reveal a dumbbell-shaped object with overall dimensions of 217 kilometers by 94 kilometers by 81 kilometers (+/-25%). The asteroid's surface properties are consistent with a regolith having a metallic composition and a porosity comparable to that of lunar soil. Kleopatra's shape is probably the outcome of an exotic sequence of collisional events, and much of its interior may have an unconsolidated rubble-pile structure.
Ostro
SJ
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA. School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2752, USA. Arecibo Observatory, HC3 Box.
Hudson
RS
Nolan
MC
Margot
JL
Scheeres
DJ
Campbell
DB
Magri
C
Giorgini
JD
Yeomans
DK