From celestial vermin to the building blocks of our solar system
In short: For decades, astronomers dismissed asteroids as mere cosmic clutter. But new missions are proving these rocky bodies are actually time capsules, holding the secrets of our solar system's five billion year history and the very origins of planetary formation.
Once dismissed as 'celestial vermin' that obstructed more interesting astronomical observations, asteroids are now viewed as essential pieces of the solar system's puzzle. Recent missions, such as OSIRIS-REx, which returned samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, and the Lucy spacecraft, are shifting our perspective. These small bodies act as archives of the last five billion years of cosmic evolution.
The Lucy mission, named after the famous 1974 Australopithecus afarensis fossil discovery, is currently touring eleven different asteroids to investigate solar system origins. One such target is Donaldjohanson, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Before its flyby in April 202/5, this asteroid was known only as a point of light, estimated to be between 3 and 5km in diameter with a common 'C-type' composition.
The history of Donaldjohanson may be tied to a massive catastrophe occurring roughly 150 million years ago, which likely disintegrated a parent body or scattered material via collision. Interestingly, the asteroid rotates quite slowly, once every 252 hours. This slow rotation, combined with dramatic changes in brightness, led scientists to suspect the body might be elongated or even possess an unseen satellite.
During its encounter, the Lucy spacecraft passed within 900 km of Donaldjohanson at a relative velocity of 13.4 km/s. While the sun's brightness prevents imaging at the absolute closest approach, the mission's sensitive cameras are capable of resolving features as small as 10 meters, potentially revealing the complex history written on these ancient surfaces.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Asteroid Adventures - Chris Lintott
- Also: Asteroid Adventures
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