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Asteroid Dimorphos

All articles tagged with #asteroid dimorphos

space-science2 years ago•2 min saved

Unusual Behavior Detected in Asteroid Struck by NASA's Spacecraft

The asteroid Dimorphos, which was intentionally crashed into by a NASA rocket as part of the DART mission, is exhibiting unexpected behavior. Recent observations show that Dimorphos may be tumbling in its orbit around its parent asteroid and continuously slowing down, contrary to NASA's predictions. High school students first detected these changes, and the DART team has confirmed a slowdown in Dimorphos' orbit. The cause of the steady slowdown is believed to be a swarm of boulders that fell back onto Dimorphos after the impact. Further investigation will be conducted by the European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft in 2026.

via Livescience.com|

#asteroid-dimorphos #dart-mission #nasa

space2 years ago•6 min saved

Hubble Captures Boulders Escaping After DART's Asteroid Impact

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured images of boulders escaping from the asteroid Dimorphos, nearly four months after it was impacted by NASA's DART mission (Double Asteroid Redirection Test). The boulders, ranging in size from three to 22 feet across, were knocked off the asteroid by the force of the collision and are drifting away at a slow speed. This discovery provides valuable insights into the behavior of asteroids when impacted and could have implications for future asteroid deflection strategies.

via SciTechDaily|

#asteroid-deflection #asteroid-dimorphos #asteroid-impact

science-and-exploration2 years ago•2 min saved

"Boulders Break Free: Hubble Captures Dimorphos' Escape"

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a swarm of boulders drifting away from the asteroid Dimorphos, possibly shaken off when NASA's DART impactor spacecraft intentionally collided with the asteroid. The boulders range in size from 1 m to 6.7 m and are some of the faintest objects ever imaged in the Solar System. This finding opens up new opportunities for studying the aftermath of the impact using ESA's upcoming Hera mission. The boulders are not shattered pieces caused by the impact but were already scattered across the asteroid's surface. The impact is estimated to have shaken off 2% of the boulders, and Hera will determine the actual crater size. Dimorphos may have formed from material shed by the larger asteroid Didymos, making it a rubble pile held together by weak gravity. The origin of the lifted boulders is still unclear, but they could be part of an ejecta plume or shaken loose by a seismic wave from the impact.

via European Space Agency|

#asteroid-dimorphos #dart-impactor-spacecraft #hera-mission