NASA snaps detailed photos of 'strikingly complicated' asteroid
2 days ago
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- #asteroids
- NASA’s Lucy spacecraft had its second close encounter with the asteroid Donaldjohanson on April 20, 2024.
- The spacecraft's L’LORRI imager captured detailed images from about 600 miles away, revealing the asteroid's complex geology.
- Donaldjohanson's elongated shape suggests it formed from a collision of two smaller bodies, with a unique neck connecting its two lobes.
- The asteroid is larger than initially estimated, measuring about 5 miles long and 2 miles wide.
- Additional data from L’Ralph and L’TES instruments will be analyzed over the next week.
- This encounter follows Lucy’s flyby of Dinkinesh and Selam 16 months prior.
- Donaldjohanson is the second of 10 asteroids Lucy will study during its 12-year mission.
- Lucy’s next major target is the Jupiter Trojan asteroid Eurybates, with a final flyby planned for August 2027.