The International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved the name “Selam” for the new asteroid moon discovered by NASA’s Lucy mission. The name means “peace” in the Ethiopian language Amharic.  

The moon is a contact binary, which means it’s made up of two space rocks that are gently resting against each other. The moon orbits the asteroid Dinkinesh, which was spotted by Lucy during a quick fly by.

The Lucy mission is named after a skeleton discovered in Ethiopia in 1974 that changed scientists’ understanding of human evolution. The mission hopes to gain insight into the origins of the solar system by studying planetary fossils.

Curious double moon discovered orbiting asteroid ‘Dinky‘ now has a name. The first asteroid target of NASA’s Lucy mission hosts an unexpected “contact binary” satellite. Scientists have named it “Selam.

There are over 150 asteroids known to have moons. Some asteroids have two moons. 

Here are some asteroids with moons: 

• 243 Ida: The first asteroid discovered to have a moon 
• Dinkinesh: Discovered by NASA’s Lucy mission 
• 2004 BL86: Passed Earth at a distance of 1.2 million kilometers 
• Pulcova: Discovered to have a moon about nine miles wide 
• Polymele: Discovered when the asteroid passed in front of a star 
• 1999 KW4: Passed Earth close enough that amateur astronomers could spot it 

Other types of asteroids include: 

• Binary asteroids, where two rocky bodies of similar size orbit each other 
• Triple asteroid systems

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will visit 10 asteroids over 12 years: 

• Two main belt asteroids: Located between Mars and Jupiter 
• Eight Trojan asteroids: Share Jupiter’s orbit around the Sun, either ahead of or behind the planet 

Lucy launched on October 16, 2021. The mission is powered by solar panels and has four instruments to observe the asteroids’ temperature, albedo, and surface features. 

Lucy is the first mission to visit Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. The $981 million mission is expected to give us a more complete picture of our origin story.

Lucy will visit two groups of asteroids: 

• Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids: These asteroids orbit the Sun in two groups, one leading Jupiter and one trailing behind. They are thought to be remnants of the material that formed the outer planets. 
• Main belt asteroids: These asteroids are located between Mars and Jupiter. 

Lucy will also visit the following asteroids: 

Patroclus/Menoetius, Eurybates, Orus, Leucus, Polymele, Donaldjohanson. 

Lucy will alternate between visiting Jupiter’s Greek and Trojan camps every six years.

Here are some more facts about the Lucy mission: 

• Lucy’s speed: Lucy’s average speed is 39,000 miles per hour. 
• Lucy’s distance: Lucy will travel almost 4 billion miles during its mission. 
• Lucy’s loops: Lucy will make three-and-a-half loops around the Sun. 
• Lucy’s gravity: Lucy will fly by Earth three times to use its gravity to slingshot itself toward the Trojans. 
• Lucy’s size: Lucy is 13 meters long and weighs 1,500 kilograms. 
• Lucy’s solar panels: Lucy’s solar panels are 6 meters in diameter. 

Lucy will also be the first spacecraft to return to the vicinity of Earth from the outer solar system.(full article source google)

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