HUBBLE ATLAS
Serendipitously Discovered Asteroids (Asteroid , NGC 4548) — image from the Hubble Space Telescope

Solar System

Serendipitously Discovered Asteroids

March 9, 1998 · ESA/Hubble · Asteroid , NGC 4548

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Astronomers Karl Stapelfeldt and Robin Evans have tracked down about 100 small asteroids by hunting through more than 28, 000 archival images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. Here is a sample of what they have found: four archival images that show the curved trails left by asteroids.