This asteroid looks like rolling Dungeons & Dragons dice
NASA rolls a critical hit with images of an asteroid that looks like it should be in play during a dungeon quest.
There might not be any beholders, giants or orcs in space, but there's an asteroid that looks like it could be used to conquer those mythical monsters. NASA shared images of asteroid 2017 BQ6 on Friday, and it's an unusually angular example of a space rock.
"The radar images show relatively sharp corners, flat regions, concavities and small bright spots that may be boulders," said NASA asteroid researcher Lance Benner, who noted the asteroid's resemblance to the dice used while playing Dungeons & Dragons.
A massive antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California delivered the radar images, which were taken on Feb. 6 and 7.
The asteroid passed by our planet at a safe distance of about 1.6 million miles (2.5 million kilometers). It measures about 660 feet (200 meters) across and rotates as it travels, which reinforces the dice comparison.
This year has seen some much closer asteroid flybys, but 2017 BQ6 may be the only one of the bunch that looks like it could take down an owlbear in combat. It's not the only unusual visitor in our vicinity. In 2015, NASA spotted an asteroid that looked like a skull.
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