High-resolution model of Asteroid 4179 Toutatis

A model of the shape of Toutatis based on “high-resolution” radar images obtained in 1992 and 1996 consists of 39,996 triangular facets of roughly equal area, defined by the locations of 20,000 vertices. These define the average spatial resolution of the model as approximately 34 m, significantly finer than Hudson and Ostro’s (1995, Science 270, 84–86) model (1600 vertices, resolution 84 m). The high-resolution model reveals complex linear features as well as circular crater-like structures down to the resolution limit. There is a dichotomy between the gravitational slope distributions on the asteroid’s two lobes. The noncraterlike features may be the manifestation of complex interior configurations involving monolithic fragments with various sizes and shapes, presumably due to collisions in various energy regimes. However, it may be impossible to decipher the interior structure and responsible collisional history of Toutatis and other small objects without extended, intensive, direct examination.