Oh Dinkinesh, you are marvelous
Oh Dinkinesh, you are marvelous:
This is why we explore. These images were captured while zooming by Dinkinesh at 10,000 mph (4.5 km/s) from 270 miles away (430 km) and reveal that the main belt asteroid, originally estimated to be one half-mile-wide asteroid, is made up of two asteroids of different sizes. From a preliminary analysis of these first images, the team estimates that the larger body is about 0.5 miles (790 m) at its widest, while the smaller is about 0.15 miles (220 m) in size.
Dinkinesh, meaning “you are marvelous,” is the Amharic name for Lucy, the ancient hominid discovered in Ethiopia for which our spacecraft is named. Dinkinesh truly lived up to its name.
The flyby was a test of Lucy’s terminal tracking systems, which Lucy passed with flying colors. The team will use the data from this encounter to prepare for the next close-up look at an asteroid, the main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson, in 2025.
Image descriptions:
1) Two asteroids against black space. The larger is a diamond-shaped gray dusty rock lit from the right. The smaller, mostly spherical rock is visible behind the larger’s lower right edge.
2) An animation of several images taken 13 seconds apart depicting the smaller asteroid passing from left to right behind the larger, spinning asteroid. The apparent motion of the two asteroids is due to the motion of the spacecraft as it flew past at 10,000 mph (4.5 km/s).
Credit:NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/ASU
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03 November 2023
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