Why in news
When NASA sent its DART spacecraft to slam into the asteroid Dimorphos in 2022.
The U.S. space agency demonstrated it was possible to change a celestial object’s trajectory, if needed, to protect the earth.
It turns out this collision changed not only the asteroid’s path but its shape as well.
The asteroid, which before the DART encounter looked like a ball that was a bit plump in the waist.
Now appears to be shaped more like a watermelon — or, technically, a triaxial ellipsoid, scientists have said.
What is Dimorphos
Dimorphos is a natural satellite.
It’s the moon of a near-Earth asteroid called Didymos.
Size and Shape: Dimorphos is a relatively small celestial body.
A diameter of approximately 170 meters (560 ft).
Its a bit bigger than a football field.
Its shape is believed to be egg-shaped and covered in boulders, suggesting a rubble pile structure.
Orbit: Dimorphos orbits its larger companion, Didymos, which is about 780 meters (2,560 ft) in diameter.
It completes one full orbit around Didymos in roughly 11 hours and 23 minutes.
Claim to Fame: Dimorphos became famous in September 2022 when it was deliberately hit by a NASA spacecraft called DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test).
This mission aimed to test planetary defense strategies by altering the orbit of an asteroid through a kinetic impact.
The mission was successful, shortening Dimorphos's orbital period.
DART spacecraft
The DART spacecraft was a refrigerator-sized probe launched by NASA in November 2021.
Its mission was to test planetary defense by deliberately crashing itself into the asteroid Dimorphos on September 26, 2022.
Dimorphos is a moonlet of the near-Earth asteroid Didymos.
Neither posed a threat to Earth, but the impact allowed scientists to measure the effectiveness of a kinetic impactor in changing an asteroid's trajectory.
COMMENTS