Astronomers studied the results of the DART instrument colliding with the asteroid Dimorph. In this respect informs Press service of the European Southern Observatory.
The DART mission was launched in November 2021 to test Earth’s asteroid defense technology. Meanwhile, a small spacecraft entered rendezvous orbit with the orbiting near-Earth asteroids Didim (780 meters in Diameter) and Dimorph (160 meters). The collision occurred with the smaller Dimorph at a speed of about 6.6 km/h.
Scientists have now analyzed the aftermath of the collision using images from the VLT telescope. The development of the appearance of the wreck was followed for about a month. Before the collision, the dust cloud turned out to be bluer than the asteroid itself, suggesting that it may be composed of very small particles. In the days following the impact, other structures formed: lumps, spirals, and a long comet-like tail elongated by solar radiation. The spirals and tail were redder than the original cloud and may therefore consist of larger particles.
In addition, the authors also performed a chemical analysis of the powder. It turned out that there was no water on the asteroid (which is natural), but also no trace of DART fuel. Perhaps this is because its particles were blown into space before the astronomers powered the instruments.
Earlier astronomers to solveWhy did the impact of the asteroid Dimorph have such a big impact on its orbit?