{"id":36932,"date":"2022-09-29T13:00:40","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T13:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=112351"},"modified":"2022-09-29T13:17:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T13:17:10","slug":"webb-and-hubble-capture-moment-dart-spacecraft-crashes-into-its-asteroid-target","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/webb-and-hubble-capture-moment-dart-spacecraft-crashes-into-its-asteroid-target\/","title":{"rendered":"Webb and Hubble capture moment DART spacecraft crashes into its asteroid target"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Iain Todd\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 29 September 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Both the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope captured incredible images showing the moment NASA\u2019s DART mission<\/a> crashed into its asteroid target.<\/p>\n

The images have just been released by NASA and ESA, and show a fascinating perspective of the aftermath of the first successful asteroid deflection test in human history.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A view of the effects of the DART spacecraft\u2019s impact into asteroid moonlet Dimorphus, as seen by the James Web Space Telescope\u2019s NIRCam instrument. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

ON 26 September 2022 at 23:14 UTC, NASA\u2019s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) intentionally impacted into Dimorphos<\/a>, a small asteroid moonlet orbiting much larger asteroid Didymos.<\/p>\n

The mission is part of a strategy to see whether a potentially dangerous asteroid<\/a> or comet<\/a> heading for Earth could be deflected in such a way, in future.<\/p>\n

The final stages of the DART mission were live streamed online<\/a>, so everyone around the world could follow the spacecraft\u2019s approach to and impact with Dimorphus.<\/p>\n

Both the James Webb Space Telescope<\/a> and Hubble Space Telescope<\/a> observed the before and after effects of the impact, giving the intentional crash a new perspective and providing astronomers with vital scientific data.<\/p>\n

Webb\u2019s DART mission observations<\/strong><\/h2>\n