NASA's Lucy finds iron bearing phyllosilicates on 52246 Donaldjohanson

Technology Jun 19, 2026

NASA's Lucy spacecraft flew by asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson (DJ) in 2025 and uncovered some pretty interesting stuff.
DJ contains iron-bearing phyllosilicates, hinting it was born farther from the Sun where ice could stick around before drifting inward.

Asteroid 52246 is early solar fossil

DJ's shape and makeup show it survived a massive impact 155 million years ago, making it kind of a "fossil" from the early solar system.
Studying DJ helps scientists piece together how planets—and maybe even Earth's water—came to be.
Next up, Lucy is heading for Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, with its first close-up set for August 2027.
Expect more space discoveries soon!