In a surprising twist, NASA's Lucy mission has captured images of a contact binary asteroid during its recent flyby of the small asteroid named Dinkinesh. The spacecraft's instruments revealed the unexpected presence of two smaller space rocks touching each other, overturning the initial assumption that Dinkinesh was part of a binary pair.

Lucy, on its way to survey the swarms of Trojan asteroids around Jupiter, passed by Dinkinesh on November 1, which was not originally planned in its itinerary. However, the first views obtained by the spacecraft's instruments showcased an intriguing phenomenon that caught the scientists' attention.

Closer examination of the images taken just after the flyby's closest approach, with the smaller asteroid seen from 1,010 miles (about 1,630 kilometers) away, confirmed the presence of a contact binary. According to John Spencer, Lucy's deputy project scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, contact binaries are somewhat common in the solar system, but this is the first time one has been observed orbiting another asteroid.

The close approach served primarily to test Lucy's terminal tracking system, which surpassed expectations by autonomously locating the asteroid and maintaining visual contact while traveling at an astonishing speed of 10,000 miles per hour (4.5 kilometers per second). This successful system allowed astronomers to make the unexpected discovery of Dinkinesh's companion.

Hal Levison, principal investigator for Lucy, expressed his surprise at the unique characteristics of the binary system, mentioning the similar sizes of its components as particularly puzzling. The scientific community is excited to explore and understand this intriguing phenomenon further.

The data transmitted from the flyby is still being analyzed by the mission team, offering the potential for additional insights into the composition and behavior of this peculiar contact binary asteroid.

Looking ahead, Lucy's next milestone will be a close encounter with another main belt asteroid called Donaldjohanson in 2025 before embarking on its ultimate journey to study the Trojan asteroids. These ancient remnants of our solar system's formation are divided into two swarms that flank Jupiter's orbit. Lucy aims to provide detailed observations of these Trojan asteroids in 2027.

The mission, named after the famous Lucy fossil that revolutionized our understanding of human evolution, now hopes to shine a light on the history of our solar system. By studying these asteroid "fossils," scientists hope to gain insight into the formation and evolution of the giant planets in our cosmic neighborhood.

Nature has once again surprised scientists with a new puzzle, as Tom Statler, Lucy program scientist at NASA, aptly described. The Lucy mission continues to push boundaries and ask questions that lead to groundbreaking scientific discoveries, revealing the marvels of our solar system.