It was taken by Rover 1-B, one of two Japanese rovers currently hopping around on the surface of the asteroid Ryugu. The duo detached from the Hayabusa-2 spacecraft last week and quickly began sending back mesmerizing images of the asteroid's stony surface. The solar-powered rovers are small, just seven inches across and less than three inches tall, but they contain cameras and temperature sensors to give astronomers back home their best look so far at a C-type (carbon-rich) asteroid. The bots move autonomously, activating an internal motor that sends them just high enough to glide about 50 feet in 15 minutes. The hopping mechanism is carefully calibrated--Ryugu's low gravity means that a more powerful jump could send them soaring straight off into space.

Japan's space agency is preparing to deploy two robotic explorers to the surface of an asteroid. On Friday, the Hayabusa-2 spacecraft will despatch a pair of "rovers" to the 1km-wide space rock known as Ryugu. Rover 1A and Rover 1B will move around by hopping in Ryugu's low gravity; they will capture images of the surface and measure temperatures. Hayabusa-2 reached the asteroid Ryugu in June this year after a three-and-a-half-year journey. If all goes well, Hayabusa-2 will be the first spacecraft to successfully place robot rovers on the surface of an asteroid.