44 Nysa Revealed: the first triple‑lobed belt asteroid with a moon
TL;DR Summary
Astronomers using the Large Binocular Telescope and the Very Large Telescope have imaged 44 Nysa, the first known triple‑lobed asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, which also hosts a ~1 km moon, S/2026 (44) 1. The unusual shape likely results from a contact-trinary configuration or a past collision, and tracking the moon’s orbit will help determine Nysa’s mass and density and shed light on the inner solar system’s formation 4.5 billion years ago.
Topics:science#44-nysa#large-binocular-telescope#s2026-44-1#space#triple-lobed-asteroid#very-large-telescope
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