Lucy discovers second small asteroid orbiting Dinkinesh
During its November 1, 2023 fly-by of the asteroid Dinkinesh the asteroid probe Lucy surprisingly discovered that the asteroid was actually a binary, with a second smaller asteroid orbiting it.
The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken by Lucy’s camera within a minute of the probe’s closest approach of 270 miles. The second asteroid is partly blocked by Dinkinesh.
In the weeks prior to the spacecraft’s encounter with Dinkinesh, the Lucy team had wondered if Dinkinesh might be a binary system, given how Lucy’s instruments were seeing the asteroid’s brightness changing with time. The first images from the encounter removed all doubt. Dinkinesh is a close binary. From a preliminary analysis of the first available images, the team estimates that the larger body is approximately 0.5 miles (790 m) at its widest, while the smaller is about 0.15 miles (220 m) in size.
The nature of both asteroids appears to lie between a rubble pile (like Bennu) or a solid smooth rock (like Eros), suggesting we are now beginning to see aspects of the overall evolution of asteroids over time.
So far only a few images from this fly-by have been released. It will take a week for the rest of the data from the fly-by to beamed back to Earth. However, these images prove that the prime purpose of this fly-by was successful, proving that Lucy is operating as planned, able to point, manuever, and obtain its data during such a fly-by. When it arrives in the Trojan asteroids in 2027 it will be able to do its prime mission.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
During its November 1, 2023 fly-by of the asteroid Dinkinesh the asteroid probe Lucy surprisingly discovered that the asteroid was actually a binary, with a second smaller asteroid orbiting it.
The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken by Lucy’s camera within a minute of the probe’s closest approach of 270 miles. The second asteroid is partly blocked by Dinkinesh.
In the weeks prior to the spacecraft’s encounter with Dinkinesh, the Lucy team had wondered if Dinkinesh might be a binary system, given how Lucy’s instruments were seeing the asteroid’s brightness changing with time. The first images from the encounter removed all doubt. Dinkinesh is a close binary. From a preliminary analysis of the first available images, the team estimates that the larger body is approximately 0.5 miles (790 m) at its widest, while the smaller is about 0.15 miles (220 m) in size.
The nature of both asteroids appears to lie between a rubble pile (like Bennu) or a solid smooth rock (like Eros), suggesting we are now beginning to see aspects of the overall evolution of asteroids over time.
So far only a few images from this fly-by have been released. It will take a week for the rest of the data from the fly-by to beamed back to Earth. However, these images prove that the prime purpose of this fly-by was successful, proving that Lucy is operating as planned, able to point, manuever, and obtain its data during such a fly-by. When it arrives in the Trojan asteroids in 2027 it will be able to do its prime mission.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
You would think the tidal forces on the rubble would make for some interesting mechanics. Lowering the orbital momentum and abrading the surface making even more rubble. or probably locking both into a “death stare. I wonder if mascons would allow that to be stable?Eventually you would see them form into a double snowball.
Very interesting.
This is cool.
Just goes to show that there are probably far more rocks out there than we estimate today.