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Nysa

All articles tagged with #nysa

space2 hours ago•12 min saved

Nysa Reveals a Trilobate Asteroid, Challenging the Two-Lobe Rule

New ground-based images from SHARK-VIS and SPHERE/ZIMPOL show asteroid (44) Nysa has three connected lobes with two necks and a newly discovered moon, S/2026 (44) 1. This trilobate shape shatters the long-standing pattern of two-lobed contact binaries and prompts two competing formation scenarios—a low-velocity reassembly into a contact trilobate or a single parent body reshaped by a hit-and-run collision. Distinguishing between them will require internal density/composition data beyond shape alone; the finding also suggests we may need to re-examine other two-lobed asteroids for hidden features.

via Space Daily|

#asteroid #main-belt #moon

space8 days ago•6 min saved

Triple-Lobed Nysa Reshapes Our View of How Planets Form

Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope and SHARK-VIS, with adaptive optics, reveal that asteroid 44 Nysa in the inner belt has a three-lobed structure connected by two necks—unlike the more common bilobed shapes—about 80 km across. Two formation scenarios are proposed: a single object heavily deformed by collisions or an assembly of three smaller bodies that merged. If confirmed, Nysa’s unusual form could offer new clues about asteroid and planetary formation and the early history of the solar system.

via Futura, le média qui explore le monde|

#adaptive-optics #asteroid #nysa

science15 days ago•130 min saved

Solar system’s first trilobate asteroid spotted, with a tiny moon in tow

New images of asteroid (44) Nysa from the Very Large Telescope and Large Binocular Telescope reveal a trilobate, three‑headed shape and a small moon, S/2026 (44) 1, orbiting at about 170 km. The body is roughly 75 km in circumference and may be a contact triple or an unusually irregular object, offering insights into how inner‑solar‑system bodies formed.

via Space|

#asteroid #moon #nysa