#PPOD: This Hubble Space Telescope image shows boulders ejected from the asteroid Dimorphos after the DART spacecraft slammed into it in September 2022. The bright object with a tail is Dimorphos, and the tiny white dots clustered around it are boulders ranging in size from 1 to 6.7 meters (3 to 22 feet) in diameter. Credit: NASA, ESA, D. Jewitt (UCLA)
Agata Rożek describes current plans for Earth-based lightcurve observations of #Didymos this year; to give a midpoint between the #DARTMission and the #HeraMission.
@nyrath Eros is the most notable example where "The Expanse" included the actual shape of the asteroid. They used data from NEAR Shoemaker as a base and superimposed the station with it.
As an aside:
Andy Cheng, who later developed the #DARTMission to demonstrate asteroid deflection, was the project scientist for NEAR.
@asrivkin et al. 2023, "Near to Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of (65803) Didymos as observed by JWST: Characterization Observations Supporting the Double Asteroid Redirection Test" - https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.11168
One year ago today the #DARTMission crashed into asteroid Dimorphos. This image was taken by the accompanying #LICIACube spacecraft and shows ejecta streaming out after the impact.
Dimorphos's Orbit Might Be Continuing to Decay, a Year After the DART Impact
After NASA's DART mission slammed into asteroid Dimorphous in September 2022, astronomers measured that the orbital period had decreased by about 32 minutes. The dinosaurs were avenged. Astronomers measured the orbital period a month later and discovered that it had increased to 34 minutes - 2 minutes longer than the first measurements. Even though it was a single impact from DART, some force continued to slow the asteroid's orbit, and astronomers don't know what that mechanism might be.
🛰️☄️ La mission ESA #HERA prend forme : le module de propulsion a été couplé au module central chez OHB en Allemagne. #HeraMission va observer les effets de l’impact de #DARTMission sur l’astéroïde #Dimorphos. Décollage prévu en octobre 2024.
Article à venir sur le blog !