04-11-2023 11:00 via science.slashdot.org

NASA Spacecraft Discovers Tiny Moon Around Asteroid

During a close flyby of the asteroid Dinkinesh, NASA's Lucy spacecraft discovered a mini moon a mere one-tenth-of-a-mile (220 meters) in size. For comparison, Dinkinesh is barely a half-mile (790 meters) across. The Associated Press reports: NASA sent Lucy past Dinkinesh as a rehearsal for the bigger, more mysterious asteroids out near Jupiter. Launched in 2021, the spacecraft will reach the first of these so-called Trojan asteroids in 2027 and explore them for at least six years. The original t
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