Page 2 - Tom Statler News Today

It seems like yesterday we were marveling over Dinkinesh (because it practically was) and its secret little moon, and the main belt asteroid has already given us another huge surprise.

NASAs Lucy probe found that the asteroid Dinkinesh is not only a binary, but that its satellite is itself a "contact binary" of two space rocks objects touching one another.

‘We never suspected anything so bizarre,’ researcher says

Boulder CO (SPX) Nov 08, 2023 - After the Southwest Research Institute-led Lucy mission flew past the asteroid Dinkinesh, the team discovered that it is even more marvelous as its newly discovered satellite is now shown to be a

The Lucy mission has shared additional images from its flyby of the asteroid Dinkinesh, revealing the surprising companion orbiting the space rock isn’t what it initially seemed.

NASA's Lucy mission has left astronomers astounded with its recent observations of the first-ever contact binary orbiting asteroid named Dinkinesh.

The Lucy mission has shared additional images from its flyby of the asteroid Dinkinesh, revealing the surprising companion orbiting the space rock isn’t what it initially seemed.

Dinkinesh, a small asteroid that NASAs Lucy mission visited last week, continues to surprise.

The first look at the Dinkinesh asteroid revealed a surprise: The small space rock had its own moon. Now as the Lucy spacecraft downlinked more images of its first target, it showed not one but two tiny asteroids orbiting around Dinkinesh.

The NASA mission hit the jackpot with its first target, observing the first known contact binary asteroid in orbit.