Dinkinesh

Dinkinesh — asteroid, explore its interactive 3D model in Cosmoscope.

Explore Dinkinesh in a live 3D Solar System. Follow its calculated motion and inspect real astronomical data, distances and orbital facts.

Lucy’s first asteroid turned out to have a moon — and the moon, Selam, turned out to be two lobes touching. Dinkinesh is the Ethiopian name for the “Lucy” fossil; Selam is named after a fossil child of the same species.

Diameter

~720 m

Discovered

1999 — LINEAR

Visited

Lucy flyby, 1 Nov 2023

Moon

Selam — itself two lobes touching

Selam’s path

3.1 km out, every 52.7 h; plane and phase illustrative

Shape

Illustrative rock; not a measured shape model

Explore Dinkinesh in 3D

Cosmoscope places Dinkinesh in the Solar System using astronomical ephemeris or orbital elements, updated for the simulation time. Explore its calculated motion, distance and orbital facts in the interactive 3D view. Accuracy depends on the orbital model and its valid time range.