Dinkinesh has a trough, ridge, and separate contact binary satellite Selam
Dinkinesh is part of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, leading and lagging behind gas giant as it careens around the sun
Images from Lucy's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager provide best views of Dinkinesh to date
Lucy revealed Dinkinesh's internal strength and dynamic history through thermal radiation causing centrifugal stresses
NASA's Lucy spacecraft discovered complex structure of asteroid Dinkinesh and its satellite Selam
In a groundbreaking discovery, NASA's Lucy spacecraft has unveiled the complex and surprising structure of asteroid Dinkinesh and its satellite Selam. As the spacecraft flew past Dinkinesh on November 1, 2023, it revealed a trough, a ridge, and a separate contact binary satellite now known as Selam. The complex structure demonstrates the significant internal strength and dynamic history of both Dinkinesh and Selam. During millions of years in sunlight, thermal radiation from Dinkinesh's surface generated torque causing it to rotate faster, leading to centrifugal stresses and the eventual fragmentation of the asteroid. Images from Lucy's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager provide the best views of Dinkinesh to date. This discovery sheds light on the strengths of small celestial bodies in our solar system, which is crucial for understanding how planets like Earth were formed.
Lucy's mission included an in-flight test of an autonomous range-finding and tracking system using Dinkinesh as a target. The effective diameter of Dinkinesh is 719 meters, and the spacecraft approached it at a solar phase angle of 120 degrees with a relative velocity of 4.5 km/s. At closest approach, Lucy was 430.629 kilometers from Dinkinesh and had a Lucy-Dinkinesh-Sun angle of 30 degrees.
The spacecraft also captured images of Selam, which consists of two 'moonlets' touching each other. This contact binary satellite synchronously rotates around its parent asteroid, taking about 52.5 hours for one complete cycle. Dinkinesh and Selam are part of a rare phenomenon in the solar system known as Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, which lead and lag behind the gas giant as it careens around the sun.
The discovery of Dinkinesh and Selam's complex structure has provided valuable insights into planet formation, internal strength, and dynamic history. The data collected by Lucy will continue to contribute to our understanding of these celestial bodies and their role in shaping the solar system.
NASA's Lucy spacecraft discovered an unexpected companion: a pair of fused moons named Selam orbiting the asteroid Dinkinesh.
Selam, consisting of two ‘moonlets’ touching each other, is a contact binary, a rare phenomenon in the solar system.
Dinkinesh's moon Selam synchronously rotates around its parent asteroid, taking about 52.5 hours for one complete cycle.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The article contains an appeal to authority with the quotes from astronomers and scientists. However, no formal or informal fallacies were found in the author's assertions.
][Deepa Jain] Astronomers supervising Lucy...had primarily intended to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids...However, in January 2023, they added the diminutive main-belt asteroid Dinkinesh (affectionately called ‘Dinky’) to the spacecraft’s travel itinerary as its first destination.[/]
[Deepa Jain] Now, Sunshine and other Lucy mission scientists have further analyzed the images...to offer a possible explanation for how Selam formed.[
[Deepa Jain] According to the study, when the sun’s radiation heated Dinky’s surface, the asteroid unevenly re-radiated the energy as heat, producing a tiny thrust. This caused Dinky to spin faster, making it shed bits that formed an encircling ring (and gave it its trough).
Lucy’s mission included an in-flight test of an autonomous range-finding and tracking system using the asteroid Dinkinesh as a target.
Dinkinesh, a contact binary satellite of asteroid (152830) Dinkinesh, has a late addition to the Lucy mission and is similar in size to other near-Earth asteroids such as Moshup, Bennu, Ryugu and Didymos.
The effective diameter of Dinkinesh is 719 m.
Lucy approached Dinkinesh at a solar phase angle of 120° with a relative velocity of 4.5 km/s.
At closest approach, Lucy was 430.629 km from Dinkinesh and had a Lucy-Dinkinesh-Sun angle of 30°.
Dinkinesh has two main geological features: a longitudinal trough and an equatorial ridge.
NASA's Lucy spacecraft flew by the main-belt asteroid Dinkinesh on November 1, 2023, revealing a trough, a ridge, and a separate contact binary satellite now known as Selam.
The complex structure of Dinkinesh and Selam demonstrates their significant internal strength and dynamic history.
During millions of years in sunlight, thermal radiation from Dinkinesh's surface generated torque causing it to rotate faster, leading to centrifugal stresses and the eventual fragmentation of the asteroid.
Images from Lucy's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager provide the best views of Dinkinesh to date.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it states 'Hal Levison, Lucy principal investigator at the Boulder, Colorado, branch of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.' and 'Keith Noll of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, project scientist for Lucy and a co-author of the paper.' The authors are cited as experts and their opinions are presented as facts. However, this does not necessarily mean that their statements are correct or free from fallacies. Additionally, there is an example of an inflammatory rhetorical question in '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.' which can be considered as a form of emotional appeal.
]The authors are cited as experts and their opinions are presented as facts.[
