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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesNASA’s Lucy spacecraft flew past the small main-belt asteroid Dinkinesh on November 1, 2023, and found that it has a tiny moon: Selam. Images taken during the encounter showed that Selam is made of two joined lobes, while later analysis revealed a trough and ridge on Dinkinesh that scientists say point to a complex history.
What did Lucy discover at Dinkinesh?
Lucy’s first returned images showed Dinkinesh and a smaller object beside it. That object was a satellite, later named Selam. In the earliest images, the two bodies lined up from the spacecraft’s viewpoint, so Selam appeared as a single object. Additional images from around the flyby resolved its unusual shape: two lobes touching one another.
NASA describes Selam as the first contact binary discovered orbiting an asteroid. A contact binary is a body consisting of two distinct components that touch, rather than two separate objects that merely orbit close together.
How large are Dinkinesh and Selam?
NASA’s approximate estimates, based on initial image analysis, put Dinkinesh at about 0.5 miles (790 meters) across at its widest. Each of Selam’s two lobes is about 0.15 miles (220 meters) across. These are estimates, not precise dimensions. NASA Science: Dinkinesh
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What did the images reveal about Dinkinesh’s surface?
Lucy’s L’LORRI camera captured high-resolution images showing a trough and a ridge on Dinkinesh. Those are observed surface features; the proposed explanation for how they formed is an interpretation.
In a 2024 report, NASA said scientists interpret the trough as a place where a large piece—about a quarter of the asteroid—suddenly shifted. They say the structure suggests Dinkinesh has significant internal strength and a complex, dynamic history. The images do not directly show that past shift taking place. NASA: Lucy images reveal Dinkinesh to be surprisingly complex
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Why was the flyby a test for Lucy?
Dinkinesh was the first asteroid Lucy encountered on its journey. NASA used the November 1, 2023 flyby to test the spacecraft’s ability to track and image asteroids while moving past them at high speed. The L’LORRI camera supplied the detailed imagery. NASA Goddard: Lucy sees asteroid Dinkinesh in detail
NASA describes Dinkinesh and Selam as the first two of at least 11 asteroids Lucy plans to explore during its 12-year mission. The mission’s route continues toward asteroids known as the Jupiter Trojans. NASA Science: Lucy mission resources
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What do the names Dinkinesh and Selam mean?
“Dinkinesh” means “you are marvelous” in Amharic and is the Ethiopian name for Lucy. “Selam” means “peace.” NASA’s announcement of the discovery also explains the naming and the initial images. NASA: Lucy discovers a second asteroid during the Dinkinesh flyby
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