Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Bennu Candidate Sample Site: Nightingale

Bennu Candidate Sample Site: Nightingale
Bennu Candidate Sample Site: Nightingale Site Nightingale is located on asteroid Bennu at 43° E and 56° N. It is a small crater encompassed by a larger crater with a 70 meter radius) near Bennu’s north pole. Nightingale has 4 areas that are being evaluated for sample collection. The first, with a 5 meter radius, is located in the northeast region of the crater. The second area, also 5 meter radius, is located slightly west of the crater’s center. The third area has an 8 meter radius, and reaches from the crater’s northern rim to its center. The fourth and largest area, with a 10 meter radius, encompasses nearly the entire crater. Nightingale contains mostly fine-grained, dark material and it has the lowest albedo and the lowest temperature of the four candidate sites. Nightingale’s regolith also has the highest color variation, which suggests the presence of diverse materials. Additionally, this region’s spectral signatures strongly indicate that carbon-rich minerals are present. This image was taken by OSIRIS REx's OCAMS (PolyCam) instrument on 29 March 2019. NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona