Spectra of Asteroid Donaldjohanson and Meteorite Que 97990 (IMAGE)

Southwest Research Institute

Spectra of Asteroid Donaldjohanson and Meteorite Que 97990

Caption

During its April 20, 2025, encounter with the main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft discovered evidence for iron-rich clays on the surface of the asteroid using its infrared spectrometer. Recent studies led by SwRI scientists found that the clays are similar to those found in carbon-rich meteorites such as QUE 97990 and indicate the presence of water on the asteroid in the distant past.

Credit

NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Dan Gallagher Image of Donaldjohanson: NASA/Goddard/SwRL/JHU-APL

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