CASPER
THE FRIENDLY GHOST
Researchers from the University of North Dakota and from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany have discovered a new kind of asteroid using NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The mineralogical composition of 1999 TA10 suggests that, unlike many other asteroids, it did not originate from the outer rocky crust of its parent asteroid Vesta, but from deeper layers. Until now, no asteroid with this composition was known. With the help of this new discovery, it is now possible to determine the thickness of Vesta's crust and to study its internal structure. This summer, Vesta will be the first destination of NASA's Dawn mission. In addition, the body with a diameter of approximately 325 miles (525 kilometers) is believed to be the only remaining protoplanet from the early phase of our solar system.
