Gemini South Captures Asteroid 2024 YR4

This composite image of asteroid 2024 YR4 was captured with the Gemini South telescope in Chile, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab. On 7 February 2025, using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS), a team of astronomers took images of the asteroid (the hazy dot at the center of the image) through four different filters. Colorful star trails surround the asteroid, showing the passing of time and the motion of the night sky in a still image. The observations allowed the team to determine its composition, orbital characteristics and 3D shape.