NASA's Lucy reveals Donaldjohanson wobble and ancient history after flyby
NASA's Lucy spacecraft pulled off a close flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson on April 20, 2025, getting just 960km away from this odd, peanut-shaped rock between Mars and Jupiter.
Scientists are excited because Lucy captured fresh details about Donaldjohanson's unusual wobbling spin and its ancient history.
Donaldjohanson YORP wobble, clay minerals, collision
Unlike most asteroids, Donaldjohanson spins on two axes, kind of like it's wobbling, which scientists say is caused by sunlight slowly twisting its rotation (the YORP effect).
Even cooler, Lucy found iron-rich clay minerals on its surface, hinting that liquid water might have once existed there.
The asteroid also sports craters and ridges from a massive collision 155 million years ago, giving researchers new clues about how our solar system formed.