243 Ida

243 Ida is a small, irregularly shaped object known as an asteroid, orbiting the Sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It measures about 31.4 kilometers (19.5 miles) across and has a rough, rocky surface. In 1993, the Galileo spacecraft took close-up images of Ida, revealing a detailed, cratered landscape and a tiny moon called Dactyl orbiting it — the first confirmed example of an asteroid with a satellite. Studying Ida helps scientists understand the composition and history of remnants from the early solar system, offering insights into the building blocks of planets.