Science is Fun Fridays!

 


More space news!

Tomorrow, the first ever Lucy Mission launches towards the Trojan Asteroids.

They are thought to be remnants of the primordial material that formed the outer planets.  They orbit the Sun in two loose groups, one ahead of Jupiter and one behind.  They are stabilized by the Sun and Jupiter in a gravitational balancing act.

The mission takes its name from the fossilized human ancestor which gave us insight into humanity's evolution.  In the same sense, they hope to gain insight into our solar system's evolution.

This is expected to be a 12 year journey to eight asteroids.  The first will be 52246 Donaldjohanson, named for the anthropologist discoverer of Lucy, in April 2025.



The dark red P and D type Trojans resemble those found in the Kuiper Belt.  The C types are found mostly in the outer parts of the Main Belt.  All Trojans are thought to be abundant in dark carbon compounds.



NASA

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