Debris from NASA-hit asteroid appears to be heading toward Earth

Scientists are studying the possibility of this. wreck of dimorphosThe small moon of the asteroid Didymos, which NASA hit with the DART spacecraft, is reaching Earth and other celestial bodies. In the collision, which occurred on September 26, 2022, as part of the first planetary defense mission, the DART probe modified the orbit of Dimorphos, but the ejected material appears to have created Meteor shower, dimorphids, The size, shape, mass and velocity are not yet precisely known.

The first data on this material is provided by the satellite. LICIACube from the Italian Space AgencyBut they did allow us to see the direction of the ejected fragments after the collision and simulate their journey into space. Some of this debris, according to the results of a new study available They are online Arcxiv And accepted for publication by Journal of Planetary Science, They will head towards the ground.which can be achieved in the fastest parts in less than seven years.

New Meteor Shower Could Reach Earth

Some fragments of Dimorphos, Moon of asteroid Didymos Looks like NASA hit it with the DART probe. I headed towards the groundIf they were ejected during the probe’s collision with space rocks, they may have formed. Meteor shower, dimorphidsHe was the first creature created by man, but little is known about him.

For post-impact investigations, which could provide useful data on the size, shape, mass and velocity of these fragments, we will have to wait until they are discovered.ESA’s Hera mission It arrives in Dimorphos, in October 2026, but some Important information about shape and direction The cone of ejected material, provided by the Italian Space Agency’s LICIACube satellite that accompanied the DART mission and witnessed the impact, made it possible to produce a series of simulations.

These analyses were conducted by a research team led by Reservoir Eloy Peña Asensio From the Deep Space Astrodynamics and Technology (DART) research group of the Polytechnic School of Milan, in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIS) of the Spanish National Research Council, the Catalan Institute of Space Studies (IEEC) and the European Space Agency, it was found that the debris They can reach both Mars and the Earth-Moon system..

“We performed dynamic simulations of ejection using 3 million particles classified into three size groups (10 cm, 0.5 cm and 30 µm) and are constrained by the first post-impact observations based on data provided by the LICIACube satellite. – Explanation of the study authors -. The initial simulation explored projectile velocities between 1 and 1000 m/s, while the secondary simulation focused on projectiles between 1 and 2 km/s.“

The results indicated that particles ejected at speeds less than 500 m/s could reach Mars in about 13 years, while those ejected at speeds greater than 1.5 km/s (equivalent to 5,400 km/h) They could reach Earth in less than seven years.” . “However, we expect these faster particles to be too small to produce visible meteors. – Highlights Pena Asensio – . However, ongoing meteor observation campaigns will be the key to determining whether DART has produced a new meteor shower.“

Even if some of the larger fragments reach Earth — simulations suggest it would likely take up to 30 years — experts believe the debris However, it will not pose any danger..

“Its size does not exceed a few centimeters, and its high speed will lead to its disintegration in the atmosphere. Create beautiful streaks of light in the sky.The researcher added, also stressing the possibility that future missions to Mars will also have the opportunity to observe Martian meteorites as Didymos fragments burn up in its atmosphere.