Hubble Telescope Images Reveal a Halo of Boulders Around Asteroid Dimorphos
Key Highlights :
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope recently captured images of the asteroid Dimorphos, revealing a halo of 37 dim, newfound objects — most likely boulders shaken loose from the surface. The collision of a probe into the small asteroid last year likely blasted a few dozen hefty boulders into space.
At least 15 of the boulders are larger than 4 meters across, and according to the brightness of the objects, some of the dimmest ever spied by Hubble in our solar system, the boulders may be as wide as 7 meters. Together, the researchers calculate, the boulders probably weigh just over 5 million kilograms — roughly the weight of 300 dump truck loads of gravel.
The boulders were likely intact when they were blasted off Dimorphos and could have been launched off the moonlet’s rubble-covered surface by the energy of either the collision or the seismic waves bouncing around inside it in the wake of the impact.
Repeated observations by Hubble reveal that, on average, the boulders are drifting away from Dimorphos and Didymos at about 1 kilometer per hour — a little faster than the escape velocity for the double asteroid system. This means that the boulders, as well as a presumed multitude of rocks too small and dim for Hubble to see, will eventually break away from the asteroid system’s orbit and circle the sun on their own.
NASA's mission is to provide accurate, engaging news of science to the public. By capturing images of the asteroid Dimorphos and its halo of boulders, Hubble is helping to advance our understanding of the solar system and the objects that inhabit it. The data gathered from these images will help scientists to better understand the impacts of collisions on asteroids and other objects in our solar system.
