The impact changed the asteroid\u2019s orbit<\/a> around its larger companion, Didymos, by over 30 minutes, proving humanity had the ability to deflect an asteroid<\/a> if it was found to be on a collision course with Earth.<\/p> Meteor showers<\/a> are naturally caused when Earth passes through a stream of debris left behind by a comet<\/a> or, sometimes, an asteroid<\/a>.<\/p> The fact that this debris comes from the DART mission impact makes this the first artificial, or human-made, meteor shower.<\/p> As astronomers know the precise time and location of the impact, this offered a rare opportunity to study how the large volume of debris it created spreads through the Solar System.<\/p> By simulating over three million particles of different sizes and speeds, a team of researchers have predicted how they think the debris cloud will behave.<\/p> \u201cWe identified ejecta orbits compatible with the delivery of meteor-producing particles to both Mars and Earth,\u201d says Eloy Pe\u00f1a-Asensio from the Politecnico di Milano, who led the study.\u00a0<\/p> The simulations reveal the smallest, fastest particles could reach Earth within seven years.<\/p> They pose no threat, but could create a meteor shower, though it\u2019s uncertain how visible this would be.<\/p> Smaller particles are more likely to be moving fast enough to reach Earth, while larger particles have a higher probability of reaching Mars.\u00a0<\/p> \u201cWe were amazed to discover that it is possible for some centimetre-sized particles to reach the Earth\u2013Moon system and produce a new meteor shower,\u201d says Josep M Trigo-Rodr\u00edguez from the Spanish Institute of Space\u00a0Sciences.<\/p> The team will now monitor for signs of the meteor shower, which is expected to be slow-moving and most visible in the Southern Hemisphere during May.<\/p> DART asteroid debris will hit Earth<\/strong><\/h2>
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