Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Ida and Dactyl: Asteroid and Moon

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 17, 2025 is “Ida and Dactyl: Asteroid and Moon,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , JPL , Galileo Mission. The original explanation runs about 115 words.

Ida and Dactyl: Asteroid and Moon
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , JPL , Galileo Mission Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“This asteroid has a moon. The robot spacecraft Galileo enroute to explore the Jovian system in 1993, encountered and photographed two asteroids during its long interplanetary voyage.”

— APOD editors, October 17, 2025

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 17, 2025
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , JPL , Galileo Mission
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 115 words

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Topics in this entry

The MoonJupiterAsteroids

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: October 17 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.