Hubble observes cluster of boulders around impacted asteroid

Final yr, NASA intentionally crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid, in a first-of-its-kind check of planetary protection. On the time, telescopes around the globe together with the Hubble Area Telescope noticed the affect between the DART spacecraft and the Dimorphos asteroid, capturing footage of the plumes of dust thrown up. Now, Hubble has noticed Dimorphos as soon as once more and seen that a lot of boulders have been ejected from the asteroid.

The Hubble picture proven beneath was taken on 19 December 2022, round 4 months after the affect, and reveals the brilliant streak of the asteroid throughout the sky, surrounded by small boulders which had been knocked free through the affect. This view was solely doable after a number of months because the affect initially despatched up giant quantities of mud which made it troublesome to see the asteroid intimately.

Researchers noticed 37 boulders in complete, ranging in dimension from 1 to six.7 meters. The goal of the affect was to not destroy the asteroid however to redirect it — the concept being that, in case an asteroid had been threatening Earth, this technique might be efficient at nudging its orbit in order that it will miss the planet. The current observations additionally gave additional affirmation that the asteroid’s trajectory round its associate asteroid, Didymos. Nevertheless, to be taught extra in regards to the precise results of the affect, we must look ahead to the European Area Company’s Hera mission, which is able to go to the asteroid binary to gather extra information and which is able to launch subsequent yr.

In complete, round 0.1% of the mass of the Dimorphos asteroid was displaced by the affect, with the boulders now drifting away from the asteroid. Hubble scientists clarify that these are most likely not comprised of chunks of the asteroid, however slightly are boulders that had been sitting on the asteroid’s floor when the affect occurred.

“It’s not clear how the boulders had been lifted off the asteroid’s floor,” Hubble scientists write. “They might be a part of an ejecta plume that was photographed by Hubble and different observatories. Or a seismic wave from the affect could have rattled by means of the asteroid — like hitting a bell with a hammer — shaking free the floor rubble.”

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