Hayabusa detects Itokawa's rotation

This animated image is built from the twenty images taken between 18:10, 5 Sep and 0:30, 6 Sep (JST).
Distance between Itokawa and Hayabusa is less than 700 kilometers at the start of imaging. In this time, Hayabusa was approaching Itokawa at approximately ten kilometers per hour.
Itokawa's rotation period is known to be approximately 12 hours by ground-based observations. This animation shows about an half period of rotation.
Rotational direction was found as expected.

September 7, 2005