The NASA probe “Lucy” brought back a second surprise from its first close flyby of an asteroid. The first images that “Lucy” sent to Earth showed that, contrary to previously thought, “Dinkinesh” is not a single asteroid, but a pair of asteroids. The US space agency Nasa said that further images, data and analyzes have now shown that the smaller object itself consists of two parts.
It is a pair of asteroids of approximately the same size that rotate around the larger asteroid with a circumference of around 790 meters. It is the first time that something like this has been observed.
The NASA scientists were initially unable to explain exactly how it all worked. “It’s wonderful when nature surprises us with a new mystery,” said NASA researcher Tom Statler.
At the beginning of November, “Lucy” flew past “Dinkinesh” at a distance of around 400 kilometers at a speed of around 16,000 kilometers per hour. It was a test flight to see if the probe’s scientific instruments worked.
Start 2021 von Cape Caneveral
“Lucy” was launched in 2021 from the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida. The more than 14 meter long probe is actually on its way to the asteroids of Jupiter and is supposed to fly closely past seven of the so-called Jupiter Trojans: Eurybates, Queta, Polymele, Leucus, Orus, Patroclus and Menoetius – all named after protagonists from the ancient legend “Iliad ” by Homer.
The Jupiter Trojans are asteroids that orbit the sun in the same orbit as Jupiter – one swarm precedes it, one follows it. They are considered “fossils of the formation of planets,” which is why NASA hopes the mission will provide new insights into the formation of planets and our solar system. “Dinkinesh” is not a Jupiter Trojan.
The probe’s name is taken from the Beatles song “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”. It is said to have blared from a cassette recorder when researchers discovered parts of the skeleton of a female pre-human in the Ethiopian Afar Triangle in 1974. The find proved for the first time that the forerunners of today’s humans were able to walk upright around three million years ago.
The fossil – and now the NASA probe – was nicknamed “Lucy”. According to NASA, the reason is simple: “Just as the ‘Lucy’ fossil provided unique insights into human evolution, the ‘Lucy’ mission promises to revolutionize our knowledge of the formation of the planets and the solar system.”
Announcement from NASA dated November 2nd. Announcement from NASA 7.11. NASA information about “Lucy”
