By Ashley Strickland, CNN
The DART mission made history this week when it successfully impacted an asteroid, and we got to see it live, from millions of miles away.
As NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft neared its target on Monday, images beamed back to Earth at a rate of one per second of the rock-orbiting asteroid Dimorphos larger spaceship called Didymos.
Each image turned out better than the last, and in the seconds before DART’s impact with Dimorphos, the surface of the small moon filled the entire frame.
Dimorphos, which had never been seen before, turned out to be egg-shaped and covered with blocks. The rocky asteroid has surprised scientists, who are eager to study images captured by DART before it crashes in a blaze of glory.
Researchers estimate it will take about two months to determine whether DART was successful in changing Dimorphos’ motion in space in humanity’s first test of asteroid deflection technology.
The spacecraft may have shared an incredible first look at an asteroid, but it’s not the only perspective on this asteroid system we’ve been lucky enough to see.
The wonder
All eyes were on Didymos and Dimorphos for a look at 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 saw plumes of material being released from the surface of Dimorphos.
Earth-based observatories also shared the brightness of the asteroid system after it was destroyed by DART.
But the most dramatic images were first shared by LICIACube, the Italian mini-satellite that tracked DART and watched the entire event from a safe distance. The best part? In the next two months we will see a lot more.
pioneers
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 nominees, shortlist and selection process are kept in the public eye.
In 2021, none of the Nobel Prize winners in science were women, which some critics suggested was more evidence of systemic bias in scientific fields.
But there are many women who are worthy candidates, such as Dr. Mary-Claire King, who discovered genes that cause cancer, and Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston, whose work paved the way for the treatment of sickle cell disease. sickle cells
Learn more about the women scientists on CNN’s list and learn about the groundbreaking discoveries they’ve made in vaccine research, astronomy and chemistry.
Ocean secrets
Bursting fireworks, sizzling bacon, and booming thunder are just some of the sounds associated with Earth’s massive glaciers as they fracture and recede.
Scientists are tuning into the surprisingly noisy nature of glaciers to learn how fast ice is melting amid the climate crisis and to uncover mysteries of the deep.
Glacial ice can be very gaseous, hissing as it releases pressurized air and bubbles that have been frozen for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Where glaciers meet the ocean can be a dangerous place for humans. Monitoring the acoustics of these dense ice bodies from afar is changing the way researchers understand them and what we know about how their sounds affect the animals that live in these disappearing habitats.
discoveries
More than 100 years after the SS Mesaba sank, scientists have found its 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 massive liner’s main control center that fateful night.
A German submarine torpedoed the Mesaba just six years later, killing 20 people. But until now the exact location of the ship was unknown.
Researchers used sonar to find the Mesaba, along with a multitude of other wrecks scattered across 7,500 square miles (19,425 kilometers).
Across the universe
It looks like galaxies far, far away are putting on a brilliant show for the James Webb Space Telescope.
Webb detected 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.
explorations
Immerse yourself in these stories a little more:
– The Hubble Space Telescope may get a boost to a higher orbit to extend its life, depending on the findings of a new exploratory agreement between NASA and SpaceX.
— Dogs are endearing for many reasons, and now there’s scientific evidence that sheds more light on one of their impressive scent-detecting abilities.
— NASA’s Juno spacecraft flew by Jupiter’s moon Europa and captured a stunning new look at the ice-covered ocean world.
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