(Watch the clip) NASA found something previously unexpected. ‘Twin asteroids’ from Lucy mission highlight wonders of outer space.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Disclosure of discovery information “Double Asteroid” This was considered an unexpected discovery. It emphasizes the magnificence of space that still holds many hidden secrets.

The photo above was taken on November 1, 2023Lucy probe NASA orbiting nearby Asteroid 152830 Dinkenish And I found something unexpected: this is this asteroid. It is not a single star as astronomers understand it. But they rotate in pairs. The main star is about 790 meters across, and the smaller star is about 220 metres. This image was taken before the Lucy probe reached its closest orbit. From a distance of about 430 km.

The mission that yielded important information this time is a test step to lock the target in orbit to fly over the Dinkenish asteroid in order to use the orbital data for the main mission. About eight asteroids are orbiting in the future of the Lucy mission, because Dinkenish is smaller than the other asteroids

The Lucy mission is a project to explore 8 asteroids with the Lucy probe, 2 of which are in the main asteroid belt. It is located between Mars, Jupiter, and six other planets orbiting the sun in the same orbit as Jupiter. It is a type of asteroid that astronomers call Jupiter-Trojan asteroids. It contains two oval clusters in front of and behind Jupiter at a distance of 60 degrees from the Sun. As of 2021, more than 9,800 Jupiter-Trojan asteroids have been discovered so far.

The purpose of this survey is to study the birth of planets in the solar system because asteroids are rocky debris left behind by the birth of planets when the sun was first born about 4.5 billion years ago. The space agency’s often unstated goal is to find resources to replace Earth’s cities.

Asteroid 152830 Dinkenish It was discovered on November 4, 1999 by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) sky survey in Socorro. New Mexico State observations of this discovery were published by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) on November 23, 1999.

Thank you for the reference information: NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration/NASA Goddard