Images taken by NASA's D.A.R.T. mission right before impact have helped us determine two asteroid's ages. Here's what we learned.
NASA’s successful mission to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid in an attempt to change its trajectory has done more than just teach us how physics affects space rocks. It has also taught us more about the asteroid age, particularly just how old Dimorphos and its larger companion, Didymos, are. See, just before impact, NASA’s D.A.R.T. spacecraft took several images of Dimorphos and its companion, and scientists were able to inspect aspects of the asteroids through these images.
Scientists pulled these clues from boulders found on the surface of the two asteroids, which they say could not have formed from impacts on the surfaces of the asteroids themselves, as the impacts would have completely disintegrated the two rocky bodies. Hubble captures the D.A.R.T. impact with Didymos and Dimorphos. Both Didymos and Dimorphos are what we call “rubble pile” asteroids. This means they are both made up of an aggregation of smaller debris.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NASA will shut down NASA TV on cable to focus on NASA+Mariella Moon has been a night editor for Engadget since 2013, covering everything from consumer technology and video games to strange little robots that could operate on the human body from the inside one day. She has a special affinity for space, its technologies and its mysteries, though, and has interviewed astronauts for Engadget.
Read more »
NASA's DART asteroid impact mission revealed ages of twin space rock targets (images)Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.
Read more »
Exploring the X-Ray Universe: 25 Stunning Images To Celebrate NASA’s Chandra 25th AnniversaryScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Read more »
Oregon Wildfire Scale Revealed in NASA Images—'Burned Over 132,000 Acres'As of July 16, the Cow Valley Fire is 132,527 acres in area and only 5 percent contained.
Read more »
25 Images to Celebrate NASA's Chandra 25th AnniversaryThis montage contains 25 new images with data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory that is being released to commemorate the telescope’s 25th anniversary in
Read more »
NASA drops 25 dazzling images to celebrate Chandra X-ray space telescopeChandra marks 25 years of space observations on July 23, 2024.
Read more »