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The DART mission made history this week when successfully crashed into an asteroid – and we got to see it happen live, from millions of miles away.
As NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft neared its target on Monday, images returned to Earth at a rate of one per second from the asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits a larger space rock called Didymos.
Each image turned out to be better than the last, and in the seconds before DART hit Dimorphos, the small moon’s surface filled the entire frame.
Dimorphos, which had never been seen before, turned out to be egg-shaped and covered in rocks. The rocky asteroid has surprised scientists, who are eager to study images captured by DART before crashing down in a blaze of glory.
The researchers estimate it will take about two months to determine whether DART succeeded in changing Dimorphos’ motion in space in humanity’s first test of asteroid deflection technology.
the The spacecraft may have shared an amazing first look at an asteroid.but it is not the only perspective of that asteroid system that we have been lucky enough to see.
All eyes were on Didymos and Dimorphos for a glimpse of the impact and aftermath of DART, and the first images did not disappoint.
The Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope observed the collision and Plumes of material were seen being released from the surface of Dimorphos..
Ground-based observatories also shared how bright the asteroid system became after being hit by DART.
But the most dramatic images were the first ones shared by LICIACube, the Italian mini satellite that followed DART and watched the entire event from a safe distance. The best part? We’re going to see a lot more in the next two months.
The Nobel committee will soon announce the recipients of its annual prizes next week.
It is difficult to predict who will win these prestigious awards because the nominators, the shortlist and the selection process are kept hidden from the public.
In 2021, none of the science Nobel laureates were women, which some critics suggested was further evidence of systemic bias in scientific fields.
But there are plenty of women who are worthy candidates, like Dr. Mary-Claire King, who discovered the genes that cause cancer, and Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston, whose work blazed a trail in treating sickle cell disease.
Meet more women scientists on CNN’s list and learn about the groundbreaking discoveries they have made in vaccine research, astronomy, and chemistry.
Exploding fireworks, sizzling bacon, and lingering thunder are just a few of the sounds associated with Earth’s massive glaciers as they fracture and shrink.
scientists are tuning in to the surprisingly noisy nature of glaciers to learn how fast the ice is melting amid the climate crisis, and to uncover mysteries of the deep.
Glacial ice can be very effervescent, hissing as it releases pressurized air and bubbles that have been frozen for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Where the glaciers meet the ocean can be a dangerous place for humans. Monitoring the acoustics of these dense bodies of ice from afar is changing the way researchers understand them and what we know about how their sounds impact the animals that live in these disappearing habitats.
More than 100 years after the sinking of the SS Mesaba, scientists have found her remains at the bottom of the Irish Sea.
On April 14, 1912, the British merchant steamship had sent a message to the RMS Titanic, but the iceberg warning never reached the main control center of the massive ocean liner on that fateful night.
A German submarine torpedoed the Mesaba just six years later, killing 20 people. But until now the exact location of the boat was unknown.
The researchers used sonar surveying to find the Mesaba: along with a multitude of other shipwrecks spread across 7,500 square miles (19,425 kilometers).
Galaxies far, far away seem to be putting on a dazzling show for the James Webb Space Telescope.
Webb saw the “bones” of an impressive spiral galaxy located 29 million light-years from Earth, a feat even more amazing when compared to Hubble’s view of the same galaxy.
Meanwhile, astronomers analyzed Webb’s first image and determined that it contains some of the oldest stars and galaxies in the universe, including one that looks a lot like a celestial firework.
The Sparkler galaxy is surrounded by bright yellow and red dots.some of which turned out to be ancient star clusters.
Dwell a little longer on these stories:
– The Hubble Space Telescope can get a boost into a higher orbit to extend its lifedepending on the findings under a new exploratory agreement between NASA and SpaceX.
– Dogs are endearing for many reasons, and now there is scientific evidence that sheds more light on it. one of his impressive scent detection abilities.
– NASA’s Juno spacecraft flew by Jupiter’s moon Europa and captured a stunning new look at the ice-covered ocean world.
