Did you know that some asteroids are found to have orbiting satellites of their own?
Ida and its moon Dactyl (Click to Enlarge)

Many asteroids are now known to have moons orbiting them. Dactyl, the small moon of Ida and the first asteroid satellite discovered, was spotted in images taken by the Galileo spacecraft in August 1993. Asteroid satellites come with a wide range of physical and orbital parameters. Some asteroids have tiny moons, while others have satellites of almost the same size as the primary. Even a triple system is now known!

For a complete list of asteroids and their moons click here.



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