Contact Binary Asteroids More Common Than We've Thought
Recently, a new study conducted by a group of astronomers has revealed that contact binary asteroids are much more common than previously thought. Previous observations suggested that only 5-10% of all asteroids in the main asteroid belt were contact binaries, however this new study shows that this figure may be as high as 40%. This means that contact binary asteroids are four times more common than originally thought. The implications of this discovery are huge, as contact binary asteroids can give us insight into the formation and evolution of asteroids in the main belt.
source: Phys.org