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Jupiter Trojan Asteroids

All articles tagged with #jupiter trojan asteroids

space-exploration2 years ago•3 min saved

NASA's Lucy Spacecraft Discovers Second Asteroid and Moon During Flyby

NASA's Lucy spacecraft made a "marvelous" discovery during its flyby of the asteroid Dinkinesh, revealing that it is actually a binary system. This encounter served as a test for the spacecraft's tracking abilities and provided valuable data for future missions to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. The larger body of Dinkinesh is estimated to be approximately 0.5 miles wide, while the smaller body is about 0.15 miles in size. The successful test of the terminal tracking system has excited scientists and will help in understanding the nature of small asteroids. The spacecraft will now prepare for its next close-up look at the main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson in 2025 before heading towards the Jupiter Trojan asteroids in 2027.

via SciTechDaily|

#asteroid-dinkinesh #binary-system #jupiter-trojan-asteroids

space2 years ago•2 min saved

"Lucy Mission: Awaiting Results of Scientific Success"

NASA's Lucy mission, which aims to study "Trojan" asteroids that share Jupiter's orbit, is set to make its first asteroid flyby on Wednesday. The spacecraft will come within 265 miles of the small main belt asteroid Dinkinesh, testing its tracking system and collecting data as it speeds by at 10,000 mph. This flyby is significant as it will determine if the tracking system is functioning properly. Lucy is named after the Lucy hominin fossils, and Dinkinesh was proposed as the name for the asteroid by the Lucy mission scientists, in reference to the Ethiopian name for the Lucy fossils.

via Ars Technica|

#asteroid-flyby #dinkinesh #jupiter-trojan-asteroids

science-and-astronomy2 years ago•4 min saved

NASA's Lucy Mission Captures First Images of Mysterious Trojan Asteroids

NASA's LUCY mission, which launched in 2021, has captured the first images of its asteroid targets, including Eurybates, Polymele, Leucus, and Orus. LUCY is on a 12-year mission to study the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, a group of space rocks orbiting the sun with the gas giant. The spacecraft will visit six Trojan asteroids between 2027 and 2028, before heading off to the pair of giant asteroids known as Patroclus-Menoetius. The mission takes its name from the fossilized human ancestor named "Lucy," which provided unique insights into humanity's evolution, akin to what scientists hope the spacecraft LUCY will do for the solar system.

via Space.com|

#asteroids #jupiter-trojan-asteroids #lucy-mission