Binary asteroid system discovered by NASA named 'Selam'

The spacecraft encountered Dinkinesh, the first of 10 asteroids it is set to study, on November 1. It was revealed that this asteroid, also known as Dinky, was actually part of a binary asteroid system. In other words, Dinky had its own moon. On the other hand, Dinky continued to surprise astronomers. On November 7, the team discovered that Dinky's newly found natural satellite also had a satellite of its own.

THE NAME CHOSEN FOR THE BINARY SATELLITE SYSTEM IS SELAM

Moreover, these two celestial bodies occasionally made contact with each other. According to scientists, this strange system is the first discovery of a contact-binary system orbiting an asteroid. Hal Levison from the Southwest Research Institute had said, "I never expected to see a system like this."

According to the report by Independent Türkçe, a statement from the Lucy team on November 29 indicated that a name had been found for the binary satellite system orbiting Dinky: Selam.

This name actually comes from a fossil belonging to ancient human ancestors.

Indeed, the spacecraft itself takes its name from the hominid fossil named Lucy. Found in present-day Ethiopia in 1974 and thought to have lived approximately 3.2 million years ago, the primate Lucy was an adult female of the species Australopithecus afarensis.

The primate in question also took its name from the famous 1967 song by The Beatles, which contains the lyrics "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

Meanwhile, the name of the asteroid Dinkinesh also comes from the same fossil. Dinkinesh, which is the name of the fossil in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, means "you are wonderful."

In 2000, scientists discovered a fossil they described as "Lucy's baby." This fossil, named Selam, was unearthed in the Dikika region of Ethiopia. According to the Natural History Museum, Selam belongs to a 3-year-old girl of the same species as Lucy, one of the earliest known hominin fossils. However, it is thought to have lived 100,000 years before Lucy.

The word Selam means "peace" in Amharic.

NASA says the Lucy spacecraft will discover a record number of asteroids during its 12-year mission.

The craft will fly by an asteroid in the Main Belt between Mars and Jupiter and 7 asteroids in the Trojan belt.

Asteroids with different characteristics were selected for this mission. These asteroids include those classified as C-type (common asteroids made of chondrite, clay, and silicate), D-type (asteroids rich in organic molecules), and P-type (asteroids thought to be rich in organics and not found on Earth).

Lucy will be the first spacecraft to visit asteroids in these regions. NASA officials say, "Lucy will show us the diversity of the primitive bodies that formed the planets for the first time."

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE LUCY MISSION?

NASA officials hope the spacecraft will provide important information about the birth of the Solar System. This is why the craft shares the same name as the primate Lucy, which provided unique information about the birth of humanity.

Harold Levison, who leads the mission team, says, "These asteroids will allow us to understand how the giant planets formed and how the Solar System evolved":

In terms of scientific value, these asteroids are truly like diamonds in the sky.