Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.Astronomers were in for a surprise when NASA’s Lucy mission flew by an asteroid named Dinkinesh in November and spotted a contact binary — two smaller space rocks that touch each other — orbiting the asteroid like a moon.It was the first time a contact binary has been discovered orbiting an asteroid.Now, researchers have had a chance to study Lucy’s observations, and the findings, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, reveal that “Dinky” and its contact binary, now named Selam, are even more complex than expected.The complexities of both space rocks could change the way astronomers understand how asteroids, and even planets such as Earth, formed during the early days of our solar system.“We want to understand the strengths of small bodies in our solar system because that’s critical for understanding how planets like Earth got here,” said lead study author Hal Levison, Lucy principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, in a statement.“Basically, the planets formed when zillions of smaller objects orbiting the Sun, like asteroids, ran into each other. How objects behave when they hit each other, whether they break apart or stick together, has a lot to do with their strength and internal structure.”Dinkinesh is in the main asteroid belt, which exists between Mars and Jupiter.In addition to the discovery of Selam, Lucy’s observations showed a ridge and a trough on Dinkinesh. At some point in Dinkinesh’s history, one-quarter of the asteroid suddenly shifted and broke off.The L …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnSign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.Astronomers were in for a surprise when NASA’s Lucy mission flew by an asteroid named Dinkinesh in November and spotted a contact binary — two smaller space rocks that touch each other — orbiting the asteroid like a moon.It was the first time a contact binary has been discovered orbiting an asteroid.Now, researchers have had a chance to study Lucy’s observations, and the findings, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, reveal that “Dinky” and its contact binary, now named Selam, are even more complex than expected.The complexities of both space rocks could change the way astronomers understand how asteroids, and even planets such as Earth, formed during the early days of our solar system.“We want to understand the strengths of small bodies in our solar system because that’s critical for understanding how planets like Earth got here,” said lead study author Hal Levison, Lucy principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, in a statement.“Basically, the planets formed when zillions of smaller objects orbiting the Sun, like asteroids, ran into each other. How objects behave when they hit each other, whether they break apart or stick together, has a lot to do with their strength and internal structure.”Dinkinesh is in the main asteroid belt, which exists between Mars and Jupiter.In addition to the discovery of Selam, Lucy’s observations showed a ridge and a trough on Dinkinesh. At some point in Dinkinesh’s history, one-quarter of the asteroid suddenly shifted and broke off.The L …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
