Itokawa

Itokawa — asteroid, explore its interactive 3D model in Cosmoscope.

Explore Itokawa in a live 3D Solar System. Follow its calculated motion and inspect real astronomical data, distances and orbital facts.

The sea-otter-shaped rubble pile that gave humanity its first asteroid sample, returned by Japan’s Hayabusa in 2010 after an against-all-odds journey home. Real Hayabusa shape model.

Size

535 × 294 × 209 m

Year

1.52 Earth years

Day

12 h 8 m

Visited

Hayabusa, 2005

Sample returned

2010 — the first ever from an asteroid

Shape

A contact binary — a sea otter in space

Explore Itokawa in 3D

Cosmoscope places Itokawa in the Solar System using astronomical ephemeris or orbital elements, updated for the simulation time. Explore its calculated motion, distance and orbital facts in the interactive 3D view. Accuracy depends on the orbital model and its valid time range.