NASA's Lucy spacecraft has just achieved a remarkable milestone by capturing its first high-resolution images of a uniquely shaped asteroid, offering a glimpse into the cosmos that dates back 150 million years.

Meet Asteroid Donaldjohanson: Nature's Quirky Peanut

This oddball of space, named Donaldjohanson, was born from the collision of two smaller celestial bodies. Its distinct shape resembles a peanut, characterized by a narrow middle with two distinct lobes, one larger than the other.

A Closer Look at the Asteroid

On April 20, Lucy swooped within 600 miles (960 kilometers)—about the same width as Montana—of Donaldjohanson. The spacecraft’s close approach marks a significant achievement in the mission, allowing scientists to capture the first detailed images of this asteroid.

"Asteroid Donaldjohanson exhibits strikingly complicated geology," noted Hal Levison, the principal investigator for Lucy at the Southwest Research Institute, emphasizing that studying this asteroid could unlock vital secrets about the formation processes that shaped our solar system.

Lucy's Grand Adventure: Exploring the Solar System's Ancient Remnants

Launched in 2021, the Lucy mission is on a quest to investigate ancient asteroids within the main asteroid belt—a staggering 445 million miles (715 million km) from Earth. Its primary focus is the Trojan asteroids, which are billions of years older than Donaldjohanson and strategically orbit in two groups flanking Jupiter.

These Trojans are believed to consist of material from the early solar system, offering a priceless opportunity for scientists to peer into the very origins of the planets we know today.

Donaldjohanson: A Cosmic Connection

Situated in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, Donaldjohanson orbits the sun at a distance that fluctuates between approximately 180 million to 260 million miles (290 million to 420 million km). Measuring around 5 miles (8 km) in length and 2 miles (3.5 km) wide at its broadest point, it’s modest in size compared to planned targets—like Eurybates, a Trojan asteroid estimated to measure an impressive 40 miles (64 km) wide.

A Nod to the Past

Donaldjohanson pays homage to American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, who unearthed the famous Australopithecus fossil named "Lucy" in 1974. Just as that fossil shed light on human evolution, the Lucy mission aims to bring clarity to the planetary origins of our solar system.

The Journey Continues

Using the Lucy Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager, the spacecraft has gathered stunning images, although the asteroid's full shape isn't fully revealed due to its size exceeding Lucy's field of view. With more data on the way, researchers anticipate uncovering additional details about this enigmatic celestial body.

Lucy previously tested its systems with a flyby of Dinkinesh in 2023, but NASA’s recent encounter with Donaldjohanson is considered a "full dress rehearsal," gearing up for the spacecraft’s anticipated rendezvous with its first Trojan asteroid in 2027.