Orbital period change of Dimorphos due to the DART kinetic impact

Cristina A. Thomas (), Shantanu P. Naidu, Peter Scheirich, Nicholas A. Moskovitz, Petr Pravec, Steven R. Chesley, Andrew S. Rivkin, David J. Osip, Tim A. Lister, Lance A. M. Benner, Marina Brozović, Carlos Contreras, Nidia Morrell, Agata Rożek, Peter Kušnirák, Kamil Hornoch, Declan Mages, Patrick A. Taylor, Andrew D. Seymour, Colin Snodgrass, Uffe G. Jørgensen, Martin Dominik, Brian Skiff, Tom Polakis, Matthew M. Knight, Tony L. Farnham, Jon D. Giorgini, Brian Rush, Julie Bellerose, Pedro Salas, William P. Armentrout, Galen Watts, Michael W. Busch, Joseph Chatelain, Edward Gomez, Sarah Greenstreet, Liz Phillips, Mariangela Bonavita, Martin J. Burgdorf, Elahe Khalouei, Penélope Longa-Peña, Markus Rabus, Sedighe Sajadian, Nancy L. Chabot, Andrew F. Cheng, William H. Ryan, Eileen V. Ryan, Carrie E. Holt and Harrison F. Agrusa
Additional contact information
Cristina A. Thomas: Northern Arizona University
Shantanu P. Naidu: California Institute of Technology
Peter Scheirich: Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Nicholas A. Moskovitz: Lowell Observatory
Petr Pravec: Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Steven R. Chesley: California Institute of Technology
Andrew S. Rivkin: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
David J. Osip: Las Campanas Observatory
Tim A. Lister: Las Cumbres Observatory
Lance A. M. Benner: California Institute of Technology
Marina Brozović: California Institute of Technology
Carlos Contreras: Las Campanas Observatory
Nidia Morrell: Las Campanas Observatory
Agata Rożek: University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory
Peter Kušnirák: Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Kamil Hornoch: Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Declan Mages: California Institute of Technology
Patrick A. Taylor: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Andrew D. Seymour: Green Bank Observatory
Colin Snodgrass: University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory
Uffe G. Jørgensen: University of Copenhagen
Martin Dominik: University of St Andrews
Brian Skiff: Lowell Observatory
Tom Polakis: Lowell Observatory
Matthew M. Knight: United States Naval Academy
Tony L. Farnham: University of Maryland
Jon D. Giorgini: California Institute of Technology
Brian Rush: California Institute of Technology
Julie Bellerose: California Institute of Technology
Pedro Salas: Green Bank Observatory
William P. Armentrout: Green Bank Observatory
Galen Watts: Green Bank Observatory
Michael W. Busch: SETI Institute
Joseph Chatelain: Las Cumbres Observatory
Edward Gomez: Las Cumbres Observatory
Sarah Greenstreet: University of Washington
Liz Phillips: Las Cumbres Observatory
Mariangela Bonavita: University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory
Martin J. Burgdorf: Universität Hamburg
Elahe Khalouei: Seoul National University
Penélope Longa-Peña: Universidad de Antofagasta
Markus Rabus: Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción
Sedighe Sajadian: Isfahan University of Technology
Nancy L. Chabot: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Andrew F. Cheng: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
William H. Ryan: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Eileen V. Ryan: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Carrie E. Holt: University of Maryland
Harrison F. Agrusa: University of Maryland

Nature, 2023, vol. 616, issue 7957, 448-451

Abstract: Abstract The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft successfully performed the first test of a kinetic impactor for asteroid deflection by impacting Dimorphos, the secondary of near-Earth binary asteroid (65803) Didymos, and changing the orbital period of Dimorphos. A change in orbital period of approximately 7 min was expected if the incident momentum from the DART spacecraft was directly transferred to the asteroid target in a perfectly inelastic collision1, but studies of the probable impact conditions and asteroid properties indicated that a considerable momentum enhancement (β) was possible2,3. In the years before impact, we used lightcurve observations to accurately determine the pre-impact orbit parameters of Dimorphos with respect to Didymos4–6. Here we report the change in the orbital period of Dimorphos as a result of the DART kinetic impact to be −33.0 ± 1.0 (3σ) min. Using new Earth-based lightcurve and radar observations, two independent approaches determined identical values for the change in the orbital period. This large orbit period change suggests that ejecta contributed a substantial amount of momentum to the asteroid beyond what the DART spacecraft carried.

Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05805-2

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