Asteroid Impact: Last Images Clicked By DART Before It Smashed Into Dimorphos

NASA's DART spacecraft recently crashed into an asteroid's moonlet far away from Earth. The goal of the mission is to assess whether the impact can change the orbit of the asteroid.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) took place overnight and is aimed at protecting Earth from a potential asteroid impact in the future. While the spacecraft may be long gone, the last things it saw look absolutely stunning in new images.

NASA

Crashing into an asteroid

The DART spacecraft crashed in Dimorphos, a moonlet of the larger asteroid called Didymos. From Earth, both these objects appear as a small point of light on telescopes. When the spacecraft was heading straight for the asteroid, it sent back one image every second. And the final view of the asteroid was taken just two and a half seconds before the crash, NASA claimed.

In the images, we can see the classic ingredients of all space rocks - pebbles, gravel, dust, and more rocks on a rock.

Also read: How NASA's Asteroid-Deflecting DART Mission Could Save Life On Earth One Day

How were these images clicked? DART was equipped with a single instrument, the Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical Navigation (DRACO). DRACO also steered the spacecraft into Dimorphos.

Last image clicked by DART before it smashed into the asteroid:

NASA

It's unclear when the change in Dimorphos' orbit will be observable, but scientists will look at its orbit to see how much DART changed its orbit. In addition, it appears that the orbit's speed is likely to change by a few minutes.

An artist's impression of what the collision might have looked like:

ESA

The European Space Agency will launch Hera in 2024 and will explore Dimorphos and Didymos in detail, offering a better look at the crater itself, and the changes that the asteroid may have suffered as a result of the DART mission.

Also read: Defending Earth: NASA Spacecraft Will Smash Into An Asteroid 11 Million Kms Away

What do you think about these images from the DART mission? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Bartels, M. (2022, September 27). Asteroid impact: Here¡¯s the last thing NASA¡¯s DART spacecraft saw before it crashed. Space.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.space.com/dart-asteroid-impact-spacecraft-last-photos

Pultarova, T. (2022c, September 26). When will we know how much DART changed the orbit of asteroid Dimorphos? Space.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.space.com/dart-asteroid-impact-when-well-know