{"id":211928,"date":"2025-10-14T05:07:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T05:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/211928\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T05:07:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T05:07:04","slug":"chinas-space-probe-which-is-halfway-to-asteroid-grabs-stunning-selfie-as-earth-glows-tiny-in-the-background","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/211928\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s space probe which is halfway to asteroid grabs stunning selfie as Earth glows tiny in the background"},"content":{"rendered":"

Move over, Ellen DeGeneres\u2019 famous 2014 Oscars selfie, there\u2019s a new player in town \u2013 China\u2019s space probe<\/a>, which is halfway to an asteroid, grabbed a stunning selfie in front of Earth as it glows tiny in the background.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s Tianwen-2 probe was caught snapping some pics for its Instagram profile, using the monitoring camera on its robotic arm. <\/p>\n

In the frame, you can see the probe\u2019s return capsule gleaming white, the Chinese flag proudly displayed, and way in the background\u2026 our home planet, reduced to a tiny shimmering dot.<\/p>\n

At the time of the selfie, Tianwen-2 was about 43 million kilometres from Earth, which is almost exactly the same distance from its asteroid target.<\/p>\n

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China\u2019s space probe grabs a stunning selfie in front of Earth<\/p>\n

Have you ever heard the phrase \u2018if you didn\u2019t put it on Instagram, then it never happened\u2019?<\/p>\n

Well, it seems that along with millions of people, China\u2019s space probe seems to agree. It basically broke the internet when it posted a selfie<\/a> that had as much cultural impact as the 2014 Oscars selfie that Ellen took. <\/p>\n

The Tianwen-2 probe is heading towards an asteroid<\/a>, but it decided to celebrate making it halfway by snapping a quick shot with our home planet shining about 43 million kilometres away.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, Tianwen-2 is the same distance away from its destination asteroid, so celebrations were certainly in order. <\/p>\n

\"China's<\/a>VideoFromSpace via YouTube<\/p>\n

Halfway to its asteroid destination<\/p>\n

The Tianwen-2 probe was only launched at the end of May this year, so it\u2019s making very good progress towards Kamo\u02bboalewa, AKA 2016 HO3. <\/p>\n

Kamo\u02bboalewa is often referred to as a \u2018mini-moon\u2019 because it orbits close to Earth, and China\u2019s space probe\u2019s ETA is July 2026.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to collect dust and rock samples and send them back to Earth in 2027. After it\u2019s done that, it\u2019s going to carry on to a comet<\/a> called 311P\/PANSTARRS where it will arrive in 2035, all being well.<\/p>\n

The selfie is great because it shows us that the space probe is getting on well and everything is in working order, as well as reminding us how tiny Earth is in comparison to the rest of the universe. <\/p>\n

We need to send a big thanks to Tianwen-2 for keeping us humble.<\/p>\n

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