Lucy Sees Asteroid Dinkinesh

June 9, 2024

Lucy is a space probe designed to study the Trojans, which are asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit around the Sun. These asteroids are thought to be remnants from the early solar system, making them valuable for understanding the formation and evolution of our planetary neighborhood. Recently, Lucy made headlines with its successful flyby of the asteroid Dinkinesh, marking an exciting milestone in its 12-year mission.

In November 2023, Lucy performed a flyby of the asteroid Dinkinesh, which is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This flyby served as a test run, allowing the mission team to fine-tune Lucy’s instruments and navigation systems in preparation for its encounters with the Trojan asteroids.

The mission has unveiled images captured by Lucy’s Long Range Reconnaissance Imager views of the asteroid. During this flyby, Lucy made the surprising discovery that Dinkinesh has a small moon, which the mission team named “Selam,” an Amharic word meaning “peace.” Notably, Lucy is the first mission specifically designed to visit the Jupiter Trojans, two groups of asteroids sharing Jupiter’s orbit, which are considered 'fossils' from the early days of planet formation.

Learn more at NASA: NASA Lucy Images Reveal Asteroid Dinkinesh to be Surprisingly Complex

The video above is intended for educational purposes and does not constitute or imply an endorsement by FutureForAll.org.