Peanut-shaped near-Earth asteroid imaged by radar

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The discussion centers on the radar imaging of a peanut-shaped near-Earth asteroid, questioning why the brightest part of the image appears below the upper edges. Participants speculate that this could be due to the positioning of the radar emitter and receiver, which are not aligned directly with the asteroid. There is also a consideration of whether solar electromagnetic radiation might influence the radar readings. The shape of the asteroid is debated, with some suggesting it resembles a dumbbell rather than a peanut. Ultimately, the conversation highlights the complexities of radar imaging and the factors affecting the intensity of reflected signals.
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Why is the brightest part of the asteroid radar image below the upper edges?

PIA19647_940x464.jpg


From,

http://astronomynow.com/2015/08/03/peanut-shaped-near-earth-asteroid-1999jd6-imaged-by-radar/

Is it a software effect? I would naively think that the greatest radar intensity would be reflected from the parts of the asteroid nearly perpendicular to our view. A Google image search shows a similar trend.

https://www.google.com/search?safe=...13.0...0...1ac.1.64.img..0.18.879.Clm93sqRtmU
 
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Well, for starters, the radar emitter and receiver are in different locations.
 
DaveC426913 said:
Well, for starters, the radar emitter and receiver are in different locations.

Right, but at the distance to the asteroid, the angle formed by the emitter, reflector, and absorber is nearly zero?
 
Yeah. It was a reach. :biggrin:

I'll bet that we are seeing solar EM radiation in the radar range.
 
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Looks more like a dumbbell then a peanut :biggrin: and well could it be due to something like a Doppler shift?

Edit: Nevermind I don't think it would make much sense since the radar emitter is the one emitting the rays, not the asteroid... right? Unless the asteroid is emitting radiation as well.
 

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