Binary asteroids - pairs of asteroids that are essentially mini versions of the Earth-Moon system - are pretty common in our cosmic neighbourhood. These include the Didymos-Dimorphos duo that headlined NASA's 2022 Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. Previous research suggests that such binary asteroids form when a rubble-pile 'parent' asteroid composed of loosely held rocks spins so fast that it sheds some of its mass, which coalesces into the second, smaller satellite, or 'moonlet' asteroid.
Most moonlet asteroids look like upright, blunt-ended rugby balls as they orbit their typically top-shaped parents; such moonlets are described as being 'prolate. But some have odder shapes. Take Dimorphos that is, before DART impacted it. It was an oblate spheroid' - a sphere squished at its poles and stretched along its midriff, like a watermelon. And tiny Selam, the recently discovered satellite of the asteroid Dinkinesh, is even more peculiar, consisting of two connected rocky spheres.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 160-utgaven av All About Space UK.
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15 AUTUMN STARGAZING TARGETS
Go on a night-sky treasure hunt as the brighter evenings give way to the cooler months
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE WHY IS VENUS SO DRY?
A new study reckons the answer lies high in the Venusian atmosphere
WHEN BLACK HOLES TURN WHITE
Can bouncing black holes help physicists find the ultimate theory of everything?
THE MOON'S THIN ATMOSPHERE IS MADE BY CONSTANT METEORITE BOMBARDMENT
While the solar wind also contributes to the atmosphere, meteorites are the main culprit
INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL AND HOW TO BECOME A SPACE TOURIST
Having explored much of the Solar System, attention is now turning to the stars beyond
NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER FINDS POSSIBLE SIGNS OF ANCIENT RED PLANET LIFE
Further analysis is needed, but a rock contains potential evidence that life once existed on Mars in the distant past
A NASA TELESCOPE MAY HAVE FOUND ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATING IN POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION SINCE THE BIG BANG
The massive explosion was captured in 2022
Jameel Janjua "This is how we get to Mach 3”
Jameel Janjua made it to the bitter end in a Canadian government astronaut selection in 2009, but wasn't chosen. He found a different path to space through Virgin Galactic
BOEING NEEDS TO IMPROVE QUALITY CONTROL ON THE SLS MOON ROCKET
The NASA Inspector General's report finds serious quality-control issues affecting the upgraded version and expects cost overruns and delays
DARK ENERGY
THE MOST DOMINANT FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE IS ALSO ITS MOST MYSTERIOUS AND MOST UNANTICIPATED