Mysterious Findings Unveiled in NASA Mission's Asteroid Flyby Images
New images from the Lucy mission's asteroid flyby unveil a captivating revelation about the enigmatic companion orbiting space rock Dinkinesh, challenging initial assumptions Journeying towards the Trojans, Lucy continues to unravel the mysteries of our celestial neighborhood
Sign up for Wonder Theory, CNN's science newsletter, to delve into the vast universe filled with captivating discoveries, remarkable scientific breakthroughs, and much more. Keep up with the latest updates on Dinkinesh, a small asteroid that recently caught the attention of NASA's Lucy mission, and prepare to be amazed by its ongoing surprises.
Lucy made a detour to visit the space rock, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, on November 1. This visit served as a test for the spacecraft's equipment before it embarks on its primary mission of surveying the swarms of Trojan asteroids around Jupiter. The decision to include the flyby of Dinkinesh, which means "marvelous" in the Amharic language of Ethiopia, was only made in January.
However, the initial images captured by Lucy's instruments revealed that the shadowy asteroid had more surprises in store. The images indicated that the space rock might actually be part of a binary pair, with a smaller asteroid orbiting around Dinkinesh.
The first image taken by the spacecraft during its closest approach revealed the companion, but not the fact that it was a contact binary.
Additional images captured by the spacecraft shortly after the flyby's closest approach have unveiled that the smaller asteroid is, in fact, a contact binary - two minuscule space rocks in contact with one another.
During its closest approach, Lucy came within 265 miles (approximately 425 kilometers) of the surface of the asteroids, capturing the first images. NASA shared the second set of images, revealing the contact binary, taken six minutes later from a distance of 1,010 miles (around 1,630 kilometers). "Contact binaries appear to be quite common in our solar system," stated John Spencer, the deputy project scientist of Lucy at the Southwest Research Institute.
We haven't witnessed many close encounters, nor have we ever witnessed an asteroid orbiting another one. We were intrigued by the peculiar fluctuations in Dinkinesh's brightness during our approach, which hinted at the possibility of some form of moon accompanying Dinkinesh. However, we were completely unaware of anything as extraordinary as this!
The main objective of the close approach was to aid the Lucy spacecraft in evaluating its terminal tracking system. This system enables the spacecraft to independently locate the space rock and maintain visual contact while passing at a speed of 10,000 miles per hour (4.5 kilometers per second). Surpassing expectations, the system's performance led astronomers to the discovery of an unforeseen companion to Dinkinesh.
This graphic shows the Lucy spacecraft's trajectory as it flew by Dinkinesh and when it captured the images revealing the asteroid's surprising companion.
NASA/Goddard/SwRI
Hal Levison, the principal investigator for Lucy at the Southwest Research Institute, expressed his confusion over the unexpected appearance of the system. He found it particularly perplexing that the two components of the satellite share similar sizes. Levison anticipates that unraveling this mystery will prove to be an enjoyable challenge for the scientific community. Currently, the mission team is receiving data from the spacecraft as it continues its flyby.
Tom Statler, a NASA scientist with the Lucy program, expressed his awe when nature presents a new enigma. "The wonders of science compel us to inquire into uncharted territories," he stated.
Charting a path towards the Trojans.
Lucys next close encounter will be with another main belt asteroid called Donaldjohanson in 2025. And then, the spacecraft will set off to see the Trojans.
Euclid's view of the Horsehead Nebula.
ESA
Euclid telescopes have captured the initial images that uncover fresh cosmic details. Named after characters in Greek mythology, the Trojan asteroids are divided into two clusters: one leading Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and another trailing behind. Due to their considerable distance, telescopes are unable to provide a detailed view of these asteroids. However, the Trojans will soon have their moment of close examination when Lucy reaches them in 2027.
The mission is named after the Lucy fossil, which refers to the remains of a prehistoric human ancestor uncovered in Ethiopia in 1974. These skeletal remains have played a significant role in aiding scientists in understanding the evolutionary journey of humans. Similarly, the NASA Lucy team aims to accomplish a comparable feat by delving into the past of our solar system.
In a similar fashion, asteroids can be viewed as fossils of their own. They represent the remnants of material that lingered after the formation of immense planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune within our solar system.
