Amateur Image Processor Reveals New Perspective on NASA’s Asteroid Crash
A citizen scientist has provided a fresh look at the time NASA intentionally crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid. Using a series of raw images released by NASA, amateur image processor Jacint Roger Perez created stabilized videos of the DART spacecraft slamming into the asteroid Dimorphos.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) aimed to alter the course of an asteroid using a spacecraft to determine the capability of deflecting potential Earth-threatening asteroids. The target was a pair of asteroids named Didymos and Dimorphos, with Dimorphos orbiting the larger rock every 11.9 hours.
The impact, which took place in September 2022, was captured by the Italian Space Agency’s observation spacecraft, LICIAcube. Perez processed the raw LICIAcube images into several videos, revealing tendrils of dust erupting from Dimorphos, far larger than anticipated.
The impact successfully deflected the asteroid, but scientists were surprised to find that the eruption of material from Dimorphos, rather than the impact itself, was responsible for most of the change in its orbit. The results signify that the composition of an asteroid must be considered when planning such missions, as loose, rubbly rocks may be diverted more successfully than those with a tighter structure.
The successful deflection highlights humanity’s capability to alter an asteroid’s course millions of kilometers away, while also emphasizing the importance of understanding an asteroid’s composition in such missions. For those interested in learning more about the DART mission and its results, Johns Hopkins University offers a website with additional information. Additionally, Perez has uploaded the videos from the DART mission on his X account for public viewing.