{
  "id": 372451,
  "title": "The asteroid that may be three worlds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/09/the-asteroid-that-may-be-three-worlds",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-09T10:40:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-asteroid-worlds.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The asteroid (44) Nysa has long puzzled astronomers, as its true shape remained unknown despite being one of the brightest and largest E-type asteroids in the main belt. E-type asteroids are rich in enstatite, a mineral common in the inner solar system. For decades, Nysa's odd appearance, thought to be elongated or even two lumps stuck together, remained blurry in successive observations.\n\nRecent advances in imaging technology have allowed researchers to capture the finest images of Nysa yet. Utilizing the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona and the Very Large Telescope in Chile, along with adaptive optics and specialized processing, the team achieved near-spacecraft quality images. These images revealed two prominent valleys wrapping around the asteroid's circumference, suggesting the presence of three lobes that have gently welded together.\n\nThis is a first of its kind—a contact trinary asteroid, consisting of three lobes. While similar objects like Comet 67P and Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth resemble contact binaries, Nysa takes the rare distinction of being the first contact trinary recorded in the solar system. The team cautions against any definitive conclusions about Nysa's formation, as an alternative interpretation considers it a single, deeply battered body that resembles three separate objects.\n\nFurthermore, the team discovered a faint satellite orbiting Nysa, approximately 1 kilometer across, at a distance of at least 170 kilometers from the primary asteroid, which has been designated as (44) Nysa. By tracking the moon's orbit, they were able to determine the asteroid's mass and, subsequently, its density. Density measurements can distinguish between a loose reassembly of collision debris and a solid, coherent rock.\n\nThe peculiar structure of (44) Nysa has broader implications for understanding the formation of planets. E-type asteroids may be remnants of enstatite-rich inner solar system material, either primitive building blocks or fragments of a larger body. By unraveling the mystery of Nysa's shape, scientists hope to gain insights into how planets were assembled in the early solar system.",
  "summary": "What shape is an asteroid? For (44) Nysa, the honest answer until now has been that nobody knew. It is one of the brightest and largest E-type asteroids in the main belt, a class with a surface rich in enstatite, and its oddness has made it a favorite target for well over a hundred years. Successive observations hinted that it was elongated, perhaps even two lumps stuck together, but the picture…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}