The DART spacecraft successfully completed its mission and shot down the Dimorph asteroid at high speed, but scientists are concerned about some of the consequences.
In September, NASA reported on the successful liquidation of the asteroid Dimorpha, which was carried out for experimental purposes. However, it has now turned out that this event has negative consequences, informs Gizmodo.
Three months ago, the DART spacecraft successfully completed its mission and shot down the asteroid Dimorph at a high speed. This asteroid was not dangerous for the Earth and had a diameter of 163 meters. DART changed its orbit and now the asteroid orbits at a distance of about 11 million km from Earth around the larger space object Didim.
After the impact, the Dimorph began to spin much faster, and its full revolution time was reduced by 32 minutes. This allowed NASA to be sure that with the help of such impactors it is possible to adjust the direction of flight of other asteroids that may be dangerous for the Earth.
However, scientists later found out that a side effect after the impact of the asteroid was the release of a large amount of debris. Dimorph also had a comet-like tail, and then there were even two of them.
NASA specialists continue to study all the consequences of this event. They confirmed that the impact triggered the recoil effect, which contributed to the change in the asteroid’s orbit. But it is not a fact that the same effect would be for an asteroid with a larger diameter.
Scientists are worried about the appearance of debris near the asteroid, and they continue to study the possible consequences of this.
Earlier astronomers discovered a gigantic an asteroid 1.5 kilometers wide, hiding in the glow of the sun. One day its orbit may intersect with Earth.
