During the flyby, Lucy will pass within 596 miles (960 kilometers) of the asteroid.
Lucy launched in October 2021 and, very early in the mission, observed theasteroid Dinkineshand itstiny moon.
Though Donaldjohanson is just a preamble to Lucys main event, the asteroid is compelling in its own right.
An artist’s concept of the the Lucy spacecraft flying past the Trojan asteroids Patroclus and Menoetius.Illustration: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab/Adriana Gutierrez
Lucy will continue to image Donaldjohanson over the next two months as part of the missions optical navigation program.
Donaldjohanson will continue to appear as an unresolved faint smudge until the April 20 flyby.
The Eurybates flyby will also let Lucy spot Queta, Eurybates puny satellite.
Asteroid Donaldjohanson (highlighted in the square at right) as seen by Lucy. Image: NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL
The flyby will take place on August 12, 2027.
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A zoomed-in view of asteroid Donaldjohanson. Image: NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/Gizmodo
