- Scientists have discovered that the asteroid Donaldjohanson has a "wobbling peanut" shape, rotating on two axes as it travels through space.
- The discovery was made by researchers at the Southwest Research Institute using NASA's Lucy spacecraft during a flyby on 20 April 2025.
- The asteroid, approximately half a mile in diameter, was found to contain iron-rich clay minerals, suggesting it formed from pieces of a larger, carbon- and water-rich asteroid that broke up 155 million years ago.
- The flyby served as a crucial test for the Lucy mission's instruments and procedures before its encounters with the Trojan asteroids orbiting Jupiter.
- Studying the Trojan asteroids is expected to provide insights into the early formation of our solar system, potentially challenging current understandings.
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