ScienceSpace & Physics

NASA’s DART Asteroid Impact Test Leaves a Trail More Than 6,000 Miles Long 

NASA’s asteroid impact test appears to have created a beautiful mess.

The latest images are from the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR) in Chile, operated by NOIRLab. The SOAR telescope is located in the foothills of the Andes.

The dust trail from the collision is clearly visible, extending to the right corner of the image. According to the NOIRLab release, the debris trail stretched for about 6,000 miles (10,000 kilometers) from the crash site.

Teddy Careta, an astronomer at the Lowell Observatory who took part in the observations, said: “It’s amazing how clearly we were able to capture the structure and magnitude of the impact a few days after the impact.”

NASA scientists have yet to demonstrate their determination for DART’s success, but they predict more data will be forthcoming on the event, ranging from how much material was ejected from Didymos, how much material was destroyed, and how quickly it could have worked.

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