The collision of a probe with a space rock causes 10,000 km of dust tail | Technique

The DART spacecraft, which smashed into a space rock as planned in late September, dislodged a lot of dust and debris. This led to the formation of a dust tail of 10,000 km behind the space rock. who appears from Pictures Taken by telescope in Chile.

The collision between the spacecraft and the asteroid moon Demorphos had a greater impact than is expected. The event was followed by telescopes in space and on Earth. A telescope in Chile has spotted a trail of dust behind the space rock.

DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) was launched in November of last year from Vandenberg Space Station in California, USA. The probe was carried by a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX, the space company owned by billionaire Elon Musk.

The spacecraft, about the size of a golf cart, reached its final destination on September 26: the asteroid moon Demorphos.

The probe collided with the asteroid moon at a speed of 22 thousand kilometers per hour. Its purpose was to push him out of orbit. The mission should answer the question of whether a change in the trajectory of space rocks is possible. This could prevent a catastrophe if a space rock came straight to Earth.

In 2024, a new spacecraft will be launched that investigates the consequences of the collision. The ship is scheduled to arrive at Demorphos in 2026.