A recent observation by the Hubble Space Telescope has provided new insights into the impact of humanity’s interception of an asteroid last year. In September 2022, NASA’s spacecraft collided with the asteroid Dimorphos, resulting in a release of a swarm of boulders scattered around the asteroid.
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The images captured by Hubble will be crucial for an upcoming mission to study the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) and understand the outcomes of such impacts. Planetary scientist David Jewitt describes the observations as spectacular and reveals that the boulders appear consistent with being knocked off the surface of Dimorphos due to the impact.
The primary objective of the DART mission was to alter Dimorphos’ orbit around the larger asteroid Didymos, thus demonstrating our ability to redirect hazardous asteroids on a possible collision course with Earth. The mission achieved tremendous success, resulting in a decrease of 33 minutes in their orbital period.
However, the long-term effects of the impact remain unknown, prompting scientists to closely monitor the binary asteroid using telescopes like Hubble. The recent observations from December 2022 reveal a cloud of boulders moving away from Dimorphos and Didymos at a rate of approximately 1 kilometer per hour.
These boulders, ranging in size from 1 to 6.7 meters, are thought to have been knocked loose from Dimorphos’ surface due to the impact. The exact mechanism by which this occurred is yet to be determined, but seismic tremors or the initial impact itself may have played a role.
To further investigate the impact, the Hera spacecraft is scheduled to visit the asteroid in 2024. Additionally, ongoing Hubble observations will aid scientists in calculating the trajectories of the boulders, providing insights into their origins.
The new observations add to our understanding of the aftermath of a high-speed asteroid collision, enhancing our ability to plan for and mitigate potential future impacts.
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