Hubble Views of Dart Impact

Stsci_2022-047a_1024

stsci_2022-047a September 28th, 2022

Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Li (PSI), STScI

These images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, taken 22 minutes, 5 hours, and 8.2 hours after NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) intentionally slammed into Dimorphos, show expanding plumes of ejecta from the asteroid’s body. This event was the world’s first test of the kinetic impact technique using a spacecraft to deflect an asteroid by modifying its orbit.

The Hubble images show ejecta from the impact that appear as rays stretching out from the body of the asteroid. The bolder, fanned-out spike of ejecta to the left of the asteroid is where DART impacted. In the Hubble images, astronomers estimate that the brightness of Didymos increased by 3 times after impact. They’re also particularly intrigued by how that brightness then held steady, even eight hours after impact.

These observations, when combined with data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, will allow scientists to gain knowledge about the nature of the surface of Dimorphos, how much material was ejected by the collision, how fast it was ejected, and the distribution of particle sizes in the expanding dust cloud.

Hubble will observe Dimorphos ten more times over the next three weeks to monitor how the ejecta cloud expands and fades over time.

Hubble observations were conducted in one filter, WFC3/UVIS F350LP, and assigned the color blue.

Provider: Space Telescope Science Institute

Image Source: https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2022/news-2022-047

Curator: STScI, Baltimore, MD, USA

Image Use Policy: https://www.stsci.edu/copyright

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Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
DART Dimorphos
Subject - Solar System
Interplanetary Body > Asteroid

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 0h 0m 0.0s
DEC = 0° 0’ 0.0”
Constellation
Pisces

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Hubble (WFC3/UVIS) Optical 350.0 nm
Spectrum_base
Blue
Stsci_2022-047a_1280
×
ID
2022-047a
Subject Category
A.2.3  
Subject Name
DART, Dimorphos
Credits
NASA, ESA, J. Li (PSI), STScI
Release Date
2022-09-28
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2022/news-2022-047
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Dimorphos was about 6.8 million miles (11 million kilometers) from Earth at the time of DART's impact.
Facility
Hubble
Instrument
WFC3/UVIS
Color Assignment
Blue
Band
Optical
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
350
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
2000.0
Reference Value
0, 0
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
Position
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
STScI
URL
https://www.stsci.edu/
Name
Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach
Email
outreach@stsci.edu
Telephone
410-338-4444
Address
3700 San Martin Drive
City
Baltimore
State/Province
MD
Postal Code
21218
Country
USA
Rights
https://www.stsci.edu/copyright
Publisher
STScI
Publisher ID
stsci
Resource ID
STSCI-H-p22047a-f-1320x440.tif
Metadata Date
2022-09-29T11:15:34-04:00
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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