 Ida is a distinctly elongated asteroid , with an irregular surface . Ida is 2 @.@ 35 times as long as it is wide , and a " waist " separates it into two geologically dissimilar halves . This constricted shape is consistent with Ida being made of two large , solid components , with loose debris filling the gap between them . However , no such debris was seen in high @-@ resolution images captured by Galileo . Although there are a few steep slopes tilting up to about 50 ° on Ida , the slope generally does not exceed 35 ° . Ida 's irregular shape is responsible for the asteroid 's very uneven gravitational field . The surface acceleration is lowest at the extremities because of their high rotational speed . It is also low near the " waist " because the mass of the asteroid is concentrated in the two halves , away from this location . 
