Lucy flies by binary asteroid
Posted: Sun, Nov 5, 2023, 11:43 AM ET (1643 GMT)
Images from NASA's Lucy spacecraft revealed the asteroid it just flew by is a binary. An image released Thursday from the flyby of the small main belt asteroid Dinkinesh revealed a second, smaller asteroid behind it. Planetary scientists had speculated that Dinkinesh, about 790 meters across, might be a binary based on its changing brightness. The smaller object is about 220 meters across. The flyby was primarily a test for Lucy, and project officials said the spacecraft and its instruments worked well.
Images from NASA's Lucy spacecraft revealed the asteroid it just flew by is a binary. An image released Thursday from the flyby of the small main belt asteroid Dinkinesh revealed a second, smaller asteroid behind it. Planetary scientists had speculated that Dinkinesh, about 790 meters across, might be a binary based on its changing brightness. The smaller object is about 220 meters across. The flyby was primarily a test for Lucy, and project officials said the spacecraft and its instruments worked well.
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