Spectroscopic insights into the near-earth didymos-dimorphos binary system following the double asteroid redirection test (DART) mission impact.

ABSTRACT: On 26th September 2022, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission actively impacted the small moon Dimorphos of the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system. The impact caused a variation of about 33 minutes in its orbital period around Didymos and demonstrated the feasibility of moving an asteroid in space. As part of an international observing campaign devoted to its physical characterization, in this work we investigate the visible spectral properties of the Didymos-Dimorphos system soon after the impact. Rotationally-resolved spectra have been obtained 25 days after the impact and two months later. Geometric investigations have been performed to look for the source region corresponding to each spectrum. Here we show an overall agreement with pre-impact spectra and S-type c

SUBMITTER: Lazzarin M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12808128 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature