NASA's Lucy probe scores a threefer as it flies by first target in 12-year mission

Dinkinesh, the first asteroid encountered by NASA's Lucy spacecraft, is being orbited by a smaller binary pair, and is the first object of its kind to be found by astronomers. Initial images of Dinkinesh beamed back by the probe revealed a smaller space rock peeking out from behind it. Scientists were pleasantly surprised to …

[Doctor Syntax]

All sorts of strange things out there - but no diamonds?

[Francis Boyle]

I think the diamond planets/stars are just a little bit further out but nevertheless still count as being "in the sky".

[Richard 12]

Jupiter's core, possibly.

Not particularly easy to access though, without igniting the gas giant.

[Atomic Duetto]

Shhhh!

Attempt no landing on Europa

[anonymous boring coward]

Are you sure they were shocked, and not just surprised?

[John Brown (no body)]

Based on current speech mannerisms, I'm surprised they weren't "SUPER SHOCKED!!!"

[Peter Mount]

"Launched on October 16, Lucy will study Trojan asteroids."

Just for clarity, Lucy was launched on October 16 2021 and not this October (2023) ;-)

[ThatOne]

This phrase is much too vague anyway, and likely to be misunderstood.

"Trojan asteroids" isn't a specific group of asteroids named "Trojan" (capital T), "trojan" is an adjective for asteroids sharing the orbit of a larger body (usually hanging around Lagrange point L5). AFAIK all planets have some, including Earth.

The correct formulation would had been "will study Jupiter's trojan asteroids" (note the lower-case t).

[Peter Mount]

Yes trojan on it's own means for a specific planet not just Jupiter.

Venus has 1 (temporary)

Earth has 2 known at L4, none at L5

Mars has 14

Jupiter over 11 thousand

Neptune 28

Uranus 2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_(celestial_body)#Trojans_by_planet

[Anonymous Coward]

Good grief

Is that Lucy holding the ball for Charlie Brown?