{"id":8694,"date":"2026-08-03T14:20:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T14:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rdgundem.com\/the-1st-three-headed-asteroid-space-photo-of-the-day-for-aug-3-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T14:20:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T14:20:32","slug":"the-1st-three-headed-asteroid-space-photo-of-the-day-for-aug-3-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdgundem.com\/en\/the-1st-three-headed-asteroid-space-photo-of-the-day-for-aug-3-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The 1st ‘three-headed’ asteroid | Space photo of the day for Aug. 3, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"five<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

A collage of images of asteroid (44) Nysa, believed to be the first-known asteroid in our solar system to have a “trilobate” or three-headed shape. <\/span>(Image credit: ESO\/K. Minker et al.)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New images reveal what astronomers believe is the first-known “trilobate” or three-headed asteroid in our solar system.<\/p>\n

What is it?<\/h2>\n

These new images capture the asteroid<\/u><\/a> known as (44) Nysa, or just Nysa, as it spins through the main asteroid belt<\/u><\/a> located between Mars and Jupiter. The images were captured with the Very Large Telescope in Chile and the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona.<\/p>\n

Nysa was first observed in 1857, but it wasn’t until the new images were captured when scientists were able to resolve its unique three-headed structure. The asteroid appears to be around 47 miles (75 kilometers) in circumference at its widest point, with two narrow “necks” that give it its odd “trilobate” shape.<\/p>\n

Even more incredible, astronomers were also able to resolve that a 0.6-mile-wide (1-km-wide) moon<\/u><\/a> seems to orbit Nysa. The tiny moon, currently known as S\/2026 (44) 1, appears to orbit the asteroid at a distance of around 106 miles (170 km). <\/p>\n

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\"A<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

An image of the three-headed asteroid (44) Nysa and its small moon S\/2026 (44) 1, identified here by a pink arrow. The image was produced by the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona. <\/span>(Image credit: Kate Minker et al.)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why is it incredible?<\/h2>\n

Astronomers say these images reveal (44) Nysa to be unlike any other asteroid we’ve seen in our neck of the cosmic woods.<\/p>\n

“The images reveal a remarkably unusual object,” said Kate Minker of Arizona’s Lowell Observatory in a statement<\/u><\/a> announcing the discovery. “The most likely explanation is that Nysa is either a contact trinary, consisting of three connected components, or an extremely irregular coherent body unlike anything we’ve previously observed.”<\/p>\n

Scientists can study asteroids like Nysa to learn about how the planets of our solar system<\/u><\/a> formed. Nysa belongs to a class of asteroids believed to have formed closer to the inner solar system and therefore may have a similar composition to the building blocks that would go on to form the inner planets.<\/p>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A collage of images of asteroid (44) Nysa, believed to be the first-known asteroid in our solar system to have a “trilobate” or three-headed shape. (Image credit: ESO\/K. Minker et al.) New images reveal what astronomers believe is the first-known “trilobate” or three-headed asteroid in our solar system. What is it? These new images capture …<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gundem"],"yoast_head":"\nThe 1st 'three-headed' asteroid | Space photo of the day for Aug. 3, 2026 - RD GUNDEM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rdgundem.com\/en\/the-1st-three-headed-asteroid-space-photo-of-the-day-for-aug-3-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 1st 'three-headed' asteroid | Space photo of the day for Aug. 3, 2026 - RD GUNDEM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A collage of images of asteroid (44) Nysa, believed to be the first-known asteroid in our solar system to have a “trilobate” or three-headed shape. 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