You may have heard about the Hayabusa2 sample return mission. We may have mentioned it on air a few times in the past month or so. And last week, we mentioned that the spacecraft itself isn’t done, yet. It’s actually heading for another target, although no sample will be collected from asteroid 1998 KY26. Now, the Subaru Telescope has imaged that tiny rock!

The press release explains: This asteroid is predicted to approach to within 0.47 AU of Earth in mid to late December 2020, giving us a rare opportunity that comes only once every three and a half years. However, the diameter of 1998 KY26 is estimated to be no more than 30 meters, and thus its brightness is so dim that ground-based observations of the asteroid are difficult without a very large telescope.

JAXA will use the positional data taken with Subaru to more accurately calculate the orbital elements of 1998 KY26 in preparation for Hayabusa2’s flyby. Additionally, the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope will take images of the asteroid to help further refine the data. We’ll keep you informed as the next phase of the mission progresses.

More Information

NAOJ press release 

Subaru Telescope press release