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DART slams into Dimorphos: online, live observation of the impact - 26 Sept. 2022. - The Virtual Telescope Project 2.0 [virtualtelescope.eu]:

Next 26 Sept. 2022, after a 10-month long journey, the Nasa’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft will reach the climax of its mission. It will impact on Dimorphos, the satellite of asteroid (65803) Didymos, to test its deflection by kinetic impactor. We will show you the target asteroid live, to hopefully spot any brightness increase after the collision!

The Nasa’s DART probe, impacting on its target asteroid Dimorphos, will be the first test ever of a planetary defence mission. The idea is to use the same technique in the future, just in case an asteroid will be found on a route of collision with the Earth. Testing this before the real need is vital.

As always, the Virtual Telescope Project wanted to bring to you such a unique opportunity: spying in real-time the target asteroid around the impact time, to hopefully record and see together any brightness increase due to collision. We spotted DART soon after it was launched in Nov. 2021 [virtualtelescope.eu], now we wanted to show you its final fate. Unfortunately, asteroid (65803) Didymos is currently too South in the sky to be seen from Italy, where are telescopes are installed.

So, we managed to contact a couple of Observatories in South Africa, from where the asteroid will be visible at its best and they promptly joined our request. We are pleased to acknowledge their critical contribution:

• We will connect with the Klein Karoo Observatory and will observe together with his owner and operator, Berto Monard. Berto is one of the most accomplished amateur astronomers in the world. In 2003 he became the first amateur on the planet to detect the optical counterpart of a gamma-ray burst. He is a very active observer of cataclysmic variable stars, with tens of thousands of observations, and also discovered many supernovae. He currently observes from his Klein Karoo Observatory in Calitzdorp, South Africa;
• II partner: details coming soon.

The live event will be conducted by Gianluca Masi [virtualtelescope.eu], astrophysicist and director of the Virtual Telescope Project.

This really is a record setting live feed in the astronomical outreach field!

The online, free session is scheduled for 26 Sept. 2022, starting at 22:30 UT.

To join the DART slams into Dimorphos live event you just need to enter, at the date and time above, our webTV page here! [virtualtelescope.eu]

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