NASA mission reveals asteroid's unusual double moon, scientists baffled
asteroid Dinkinesh by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft have revealed intriguing features, including a trough, a ridge, and a distinct satellite named Selam. These observations suggest that both Dinkinesh and Selam possess significant internal strength and have undergone a complex evolutionary process, according to a paper published in Nature on May 29, with Hal Levison, Lucy's principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, leading the research.
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Scientists believe that Dinkinesh's internal structure is being unveiled through its response to various stresses over time. As the asteroid rotated under the influence of sunlight, subtle forces from thermal radiation caused it to gradually spin faster, accumulating centrifugal stresses until a portion of the asteroid shifted into a more elongated shape. This event likely led to the formation of debris in close orbit, eventually giving rise to the ridge and its moon, Selam.
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Had Dinkinesh been weaker, akin to a fluid pile of sand, its particles would have migrated towards the equator and dispersed into orbit as it spun faster. However, the observed features indicate that it possessed more structural integrity, behaving more like a solid rock, albeit eventually succumbing to stress and fracturing into sizable pieces. Notably, the amount of strength required to fragment a small asteroid like
