The latest observations of the asteroid, more than 125 million miles from Earth in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, have allowed scientists to more accurately measure Kleopatra’s unusual shape and mass — and it’s turned out to be about a third lighter than expected, which gives clues to its composition and formation.

A team led by Marchis announced in 2008 that their observations showed Kleopatra also has two small moons, each a few miles across, which they dubbed AlexHelios and CleoSelene after two of the Egyptian queens’ children

At least 15 asteroids in the main belt are known to have moons, and more than 400 orbiting pairs of asteroids have been found, Marchis said

The latest observations have allowed astronomers to make detailed measurements of the orbits of the moons around Kleopatra, he said, which suggest they are ancient conglomerations of rubble spun off from the main asteroid — in other words, Kleopatra may have “given birth”  to its  children