On September 26th, ten months after launch, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test successfully made impact with its target – a 525-foot-wide asteroid dubbed Dimorphos. The collision of the spacecraft and asteroid created a trail of debris approximately 6,200 miles long – roughly the distance from Florida to Turkey! The comet-like trail was shaped by the solar wind pushing the impact debris.
Monitoring the aftermath is one of the most important aspects of the DART mission. The results will provide valuable data on the orbit changes and debris paths. This data will tell us what adjustments we need to make for future asteroid redirecting missions that may pose a threat to Earth! Scientists plan on using the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope – or SOAR – to track the orbital change of Dimorphos over the coming weeks.
Check out the links below to learn more about DART post-impact!
NASA asteroid crash leaves trail of debris more than 6,000 miles long
NASA’s DART asteroid-smashing mission: The ultimate guide
Double Asteroid Redirection Test
DART impact gave Dimorphos a debris tail thousands of miles long
