Solar walk app ipad5/27/2023 ![]() Researchers suggest this is because it revealed untouched materiel with a more symmetrical molecular structure, which is less polarisingĪnother team from the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium used another VLT instrument to study what the impact did to the surface of the asteroid. Light reflected by the Dimorphos' (pictured) surface became less polarised, so more randomly oriented, immediately after the collision. This is because certain wavelengths of sunlight are reflected by specific molecules, like water (H₂O) and oxygen (O₂), allowing for their identification. MUSE also allowed the scientists to study the chemical composition of Dimorphos from the dust it ejected. The tail and spirals appeared redder than the original cloud of dust, suggesting that they were made up of larger particles. They found that, immediately after the collision, the dust appeared blue in colour, which indicated it was made up of very fine particles.īut as time went on, the particles began to come together and form clumps, spirals and a long tail that extended away from the Sun's radiation. The team used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) to observe the DART mission as it took place seven million miles (11 million km) away.įor their study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, they observed the resulting debris for a month using the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the VLT in Chile. 'DART is a really great opportunity to study a controlled impact, almost as in a laboratory.' It could also provide more information about the chemical composition of these asteroids.Īstronomer Dr Cyrielle Opitom added: 'Impacts between asteroids happen naturally, but you never know it in advance. ![]() The dust cloud that remained after DART careered into Dimorphos at 14,000 mph (22,000 kph) can tell us about what happened when our Solar System was formed.
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