Previously unknown moon orbiting Nysa is also detected.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- An international team of astronomers has uncovered striking new evidence that asteroid (44) Nysa, one of the brightest and largest asteroids with an enstatite-like (E-type) surface composition in the main belt, possesses an extraordinary three-lobed structure and is accompanied by a small moon. The discovery, based on high-resolution adaptive optics imaging from some of the world's most advanced telescopes, provides a rare glimpse into the complex history of one of the solar system's most enigmatic asteroids.