Dog-Bone Shaped Asteroid 216 Kleopatra
An asteroid the size of New Jersey that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter has been discovered to have an unusual dog-bone shape. Asteroid 216 Kleopatra , recently mapped with Earth-based radar , reflects radio waves so well that astronomers speculate it is composed mostly of metals such as nickel and iron . The unusual shape and composition of 216 Kleopatra may derive from the central regions of a tremendous collision between larger asteroids billions of years ago. Kleopatra is not completely solid - its surface is loosely consolidated rubble, although its core may contain large solid-metal lodes. Kleopatra will never strike the Earth , but it may one day serve as a valuable source of raw building materials.