SoylentNews

NASA's DART successfully collides with asteroid

Thexalon writes:

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully hit its target at 7:14 PM Eastern on Monday. The asteroid they were aiming at was 11 million km away, and controllers believe the impact was within 20m of the precise point they were aiming for.

While measurements and analysis are expected to continue for years, it appears that humanity may now have a tool for deflecting asteroids that are detected heading towards planet Earth, enabling us to not go the way of the dinosaurs.

Ground Telescopes Capture Jaw-Dropping Views of DART Asteroid Impact

upstart writes:

Telescopes around the world honed in on the historic collision, revealing a surprisingly large and bright impact plume:

Telescopes around the world were focused on the binary asteroid system. Going into the experiment, it wasn't clear how visible the impact might be from Earth, but the images we're seeing from the ground clearly show a substantial plume emanating from Didymos.

"It is hard to comment on the stunning experience we had last night," wrote the Virtual Telescope project in a blog post. "We saw in real-time, with our very own eyes, the effects of DART slamming into its target asteroid Didymos, making it much brighter, with a huge cloud of debris." [...]

[...] I'm struck by the size of the plume, but it's difficult to tell if the impact kicked up a lot of material or if these views are a function of really bright dust. Views of Dimorphos's surface looked very rubble pile-like, suggesting a loose conglomeration of materials. If that's the case, Dimorphos may have done tremendous damage to the asteroid, but we need more data to be sure. At the very least, DART produced a substantial cloud of dust.

Definitely worth clicking through and seeing the time-lapse images from the ground. [hubie]

Original Submission #1  Original Submission #2 

upstart writes:

New Hubble and Webb Images Capture Aftermath of DART Asteroid Smash Up:

The event marked the first time that Hubble and Webb simultaneously observed the same object.

NASA's first attempt at nudging an asteroid from its usual orbital path was captured by the DART spacecraft itself, its companion spacecraft, LICIACube, and various ground-based observatories on Earth. And as promised, the celestial smash up was also observed by the Hubble and Webb space telescopes, the first images from which were released today.

The recently commissioned Webb Space Telescope captured one image of the Didymos-Dimorphos system before the collision and several in the hours after the event. In total, Webb performed five hours of observations, capturing 10 images. Astronomer Heidi Hammel from the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy led the viewing session.

[...] The newly released Hubble image shows plenty of surface material emanating from Dimorphos, with rays extending out from its body. Some of the rays have a slight curve to them, which astronomers will need to study and explain. Fascinatingly, the brightness of the Didymos-Dimorphos system increased three-fold after the impact, and this brightness held steady for eight hours. Again, this is something astronomers will need to explain.

Hubble will perform 10 more observations of the system over the next three weeks. "These regular, relatively long-term observations as the ejecta cloud expands and fades over time will paint a more complete picture of the cloud's expansion from the ejection to its disappearance," the ESA release stated.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

NASA's DART asteroid impact test left a trail over 6,000 miles long:

NASA's successful asteroid impact test created a beautiful mess, apparently. As the Associated Press reports, astronomers using the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) Telescope in Chile have captured an image revealing that DART's collision with Dimorphos left a trail of dust and other debris measuring over 6,000 miles long. The spacecraft wasn't solely responsible — rather, the Sun's radiation pressure pushed the material away like it would with a comet's tail.

[...] The capture was about more than obtaining a dramatic snapshot, of course. Scientists will use data collected using SOAR, the Astronomical Event Observatory Network and other observers to understand more about the collision and Dimorphos itself. They'll determine the amount and speed of material ejected from the asteroid, and whether or not DART produced large debris chunks or 'merely' fine dust. Those will help understand how spacecraft can alter an asteroid's orbit, and potentially improve Earth's defenses against wayward cosmic rocks.

Original Submission