NASA's Lucy reveals Donaldjohanson born from 155 million year collision
Lucy, NASA's space explorer, zipped past the asteroid Donaldjohanson in April 2025 and found it has a pretty dramatic backstory.
Turns out, Donaldjohanson was born from a massive collision about 155 million years ago; a parent asteroid shattered and left behind this five-mile-long, peanut-shaped survivor.
The latest findings were published today in Science.
NASA's Lucy finds Donaldjohanson water hints
Getting up close (within 966km), Lucy spotted two cratered lobes joined by a smooth neck and detected minerals that hint Donaldjohanson once had liquid water.
Scientists also linked it to the Erigone family, water-rich asteroids that help us understand how our solar system evolved.
Next up: Lucy heads for Jupiter's Trojan asteroids in 2027, promising even more cosmic secrets on its journey.