Scientists have analyzed images of the twin asteroids Didymos and Dimorphous taken by NASA's DART mission before it impacted the smaller space rock...
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An image of Didymos and Dimorphos comprising of data collected by DART (NASA), Hayabusa (JAXA), Hayabusa-2 (JAXA) and OSIRIS-REX (NASA). | Credit: A. Duchene and C. Robin (ISAE-SUPAERO). Scientists have used images collected by NASA's DART asteroid impact mission to paint a more detailed picture of its asteroid targets Didymos and Dimorphos. The research could help better understand the formation and evolution of binary asteroids such as these. DART, which stands for "Double Asteroid Redirection Test," only impacted the smaller body in this double-asteroid binary system, the moonlet Dimorphos, which orbits the larger space rock Didymos. Still, the aim was to see what influence such an impact would have on both bodies. The data collected during this successful mission could help scientists better plan a planetary defense mission to divert an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Before crashing into Dimorphos on Sept. 26, 2023, DART was able to take images of the two near-Earth asteroids. In unison with data from the Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube) mission, researchers were able to determine some of Didymos and Dimorphos's geological features and physical properties. The team, led by Olivier Barnouin from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, studied the surface of Didymos, the larger of the two asteroids. The researchers found that at high elevations, Didymos is rough and hosts large boulders between 33 and 525 feet (10–160 meters) long and several craters. At low elevations, this asteroid's surface becomes smoother, with fewer large rocks and craters. Its smaller moonlet companion, Dimorphos, has rocks across its surface that have a wider range of sizes. While the surface of…