This is what NASA does. They launch stuff to smash into asteroids, and I’m here for it. Here’s a video of the final seconds of the DART space probe, before it smashed into the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos (Dimorphos orbits a larger asteroid, Didymos). Wheee!
That video ends abruptly, as you’d expect. The probe launched a separate camera to record the collision, though, and that looks like this:
Why was this collision so strange? In 2022, to develop Earth-saving technology, NASA deliberately crashed the DART spacecraft into the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos. The hope was that this collision would alter the trajectory of Dimorphos around its parent asteroid Didymos and so demonstrate that similar collisions could, in theory, save the Earth from being hit by (other) hazardous asteroids. But analyses of new results show that the effects of the collision are different than expected — and we are trying to understand why. Featured here is the time lapse video taken by the ejected LICIACube camera LUKE showing about 250 seconds of the expanding debris field of Dimorphos after the collision, with un-impacted Didymos passing in the foreground. In 2026, Europe’s Hera mission will reach the asteroids and release three spacecraft to better study the matter.
Very pretty. All those rocks and dust streaming out of the moonlet…
It’s since been acting a bit weird, although more accurately, we ought to say that it acted unpredictably. The moonlet exhibited a slight slow deceleration for a prolonged period.
The DART team has since confirmed that Dimorphos did indeed continue slowing in its orbit up to a month after the impact — however, their calculations show an additional slowdown of 15 seconds, rather than a full minute. A month after the DART collision, the slowdown plateaued.
What caused Dimorphos to slow steadily for a month, before reaching equilibrium? A swarm of space rocks could be to blame: Recent observations of the asteroid have revealed a vast field of boulders — likely shaken loose from Dimorphos’ surface during the impact — strewn about the area. It’s possible that some of the larger boulders fell back onto Dimorphos within that first month, slowing its orbit further than anticipated, DART team member Harrison Agrusa told New Scientist.
I guess we have another reason to think the movie Armageddon was schlock. We can’t calculate the ultimate outcome of space collisions — there are just too many parameters.
Although the data from this collision will help future calculations.
Love that DART mission and fond memories of seeing it happen live – rather dangerously looking at phone as I walked to work.
There’s now a follow up mission to revisit Didymus and Dimophos and examine the results of the impact although a lot has been learnt already for example as discussed by astyrophysicist youtuber Dr Becky (Smedhurst)here – Was NASA’s DART mission a success?! | Testing Earth’s defence plan 12 mins long.
See also :
Source : https://www.nasa.gov/missions/dart/nasa-study-asteroids-orbit-shape-changed-after-dart-impact/
Plus see the follow up ESA Hera mission page here :
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera
Which has already photographed a couple of small asteroids in the asteroid belt and, if all goes well, will reach its target next year :
Source : https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/spacecraft-headed-to-dart-asteroid-crash-site-images-2-faint-space-rocks-to-boost-planetary-defense-tactics
Let’s enjoy it now before Sean Duffy wrecks everything.
Dimorphos did not follow the calculated trajectory after impact? It must be an alien craft!
that they got there and then hit one of them hard enough to get results is impressive.
that asteroid looks very little like the ones in the movies always seem to look. barely sorted rocky debris held together by very low gravity. first try at hitting one not bad. If we can keep that sort of thing going that is the question currently if not the U.S. A. I hope the data and the research results will be shared with other less anti-science flat earthers then are presently in power here.
@ ^ unclefrogy : Yup.Seems a lot of asteroids including Didymus are “rubble pile”‘ ones, loose groupings of larger and smaller rocks. Think a bank of gravel floating through space – except also tumbling and spinning as it is pushed by the pressures of light and gravity from occassional encounters with planets and the odd impact with other asteroids. Seems they can spin fast enough to throw off rocks that then become moons of their own – as noted in this clip – Dimorphos Is Probably A Piece Of Didymos plus in much more detail by this technical paper here :
879
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0019103523000052
As Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, notes this process occurs for other asteroids and asteroid moons too :
Source : https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/kleopatra-may-be-a-dumbbell-shaped-metallic-rubble-pile