Scientists Find 47-Mile Asteroid Nysa Has 3 Lobes and a 0.6-Mile Moon
Updated
Updated · Metro.co.uk · Aug 16
Scientists Find 47-Mile Asteroid Nysa Has 3 Lobes and a 0.6-Mile Moon
3 articles · Updated · Metro.co.uk · Aug 16
Summary
A joint Arizona-Chile observing campaign found that 44 Nysa, long cataloged as a single asteroid, is the first known three-lobed asteroid and has a small satellite.
Using the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona and the Very Large Telescope in Chile, researchers identified two neck-like valleys around Nysa and tracked its 0.6-mile moon orbiting about 106 miles away.
Nysa is about 47 miles wide and currently roughly 27.3 million miles from Earth; lead author Kate Minker said it poses no near-term impact threat, though an object that size would have global consequences if it struck.
The E-type asteroid is rich in enstatite, a primitive inner-solar-system material, making the unusual body a potential clue to how rocky planets such as Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago.