A Contact Binary Satellite of the Asteroid (152830) Dinkinesh

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a contact binary satellite orbiting asteroid (152830) Dinkinesh, revealing complex geomorphology likely caused by YORP-induced spin-up and mass shedding, with implications for small asteroid evolution.

Contribution

First confirmed contact binary satellite around a small asteroid, with detailed observations and analysis of its morphology and formation process.

Findings

Dinkinesh has a complex geomorphology with a ridge and trough.

Discovered a near-equal size contact binary satellite, Selam.

The satellite orbits Dinkinesh at 3.1 km with a 52.7 hr period.

Abstract

Asteroids with diameters less than about 5 km have complex histories because they are small enough for radiative torques, YORP, to be a notable factor in their evolution. (152830) Dinkinesh is a small asteroid orbiting the Sun near the inner edge of the Main Asteroid Belt with a heliocentric semimajor axis of 2.19 AU; its S type spectrum is typical of bodies in this part of the Main Belt. Here we report observations by the Lucy spacecraft as it passed within 431 km of Dinkinesh. Lucy revealed Dinkinesh, which has an effective diameter of only $\sim$720 m, to be unexpectedly complex. Of particular note is the presence of a prominent longitudinal trough overlain by a substantial equatorial ridge, and the discovery of the first confirmed contact binary satellite, now named (152830) Dinkinesh I Selam. Selam consists of two near-equal sized lobes with diameters of $\sim$210 m and $\sim$230 m. It orbits Dinkinesh at a distance of 3.1 km with an orbital period of about 52.7 hr, and is tidally locked. The dynamical state, angular momentum, and geomorphologic observations of the system lead us to infer that the ridge and trough of Dinkinesh are probably the result of mass failure resulting from spin-up by YORP followed by the partial reaccretion of the shed material. Selam probably accreted from material shed by this event.