The Dimorphos ejecta plume properties revealed by LICIACube

Dotto, E.; Deshapriya, J. D. P.; Gai, I.; Hasselmann, P. H.; Epifani, E. Mazzotta; Poggiali, G.; Rossi, A.; Zanotti, G.; Zinzi, A.; Bertini, I.; Brucato, J. R.; Dall’Ora, M.; Corte, V.; Ivanovski, S. L.; Lucchetti, A.; Pajola, M.; Amoroso, M.; Barnouin, O.; Bagatin, A. Campo; Capannolo, A.; Caporali, S.; Ceresoli, M.; Chabot, N. L.; Cheng, A. F.; Cremonese, G.; Fahnestock, E. G.; Farnham, T. L.; Ferrari, F.; Casajus, L. Gomez; Gramigna, E.; Hirabayashi, M.; Ieva, S.; Impresario, G.; Jutzi, M.; Manghi, R. Lasagni; Lavagna, M.; Li, J.-Y.; Lombardo, M.; Modenini, D.; Palumbo, P.; Perna, D.; Pirrotta, S.; Raducan, S. D.; Richardson, D. C.; Rivkin, A. S.; Stickle, A. M.; Sunshine, J. M.; Tortora, P.; Tusberti, F.; Zannoni, M.

The Dimorphos ejecta plume properties revealed by LICIACube

E. Dotto (), J. D. P. Deshapriya, I. Gai, P. H. Hasselmann, E. Mazzotta Epifani, G. Poggiali, A. Rossi, G. Zanotti, A. Zinzi, I. Bertini, J. R. Brucato, M. Dall’Ora, V. Corte, S. L. Ivanovski, A. Lucchetti, M. Pajola, M. Amoroso, O. Barnouin, A. Campo Bagatin, A. Capannolo, S. Caporali, M. Ceresoli, N. L. Chabot, A. F. Cheng, G. Cremonese, E. G. Fahnestock, T. L. Farnham, F. Ferrari, L. Gomez Casajus, E. Gramigna, M. Hirabayashi, S. Ieva, G. Impresario, M. Jutzi, R. Lasagni Manghi, M. Lavagna, J.-Y. Li, M. Lombardo, D. Modenini, P. Palumbo, D. Perna, S. Pirrotta, S. D. Raducan, D. C. Richardson, A. S. Rivkin, A. M. Stickle, J. M. Sunshine, P. Tortora, F. Tusberti and M. Zannoni
Additional contact information
E. Dotto: INAF
J. D. P. Deshapriya: INAF
I. Gai: Università di Bologna
P. H. Hasselmann: INAF
E. Mazzotta Epifani: INAF
G. Poggiali: INAF
A. Rossi: CNR
G. Zanotti: Politecnico di Milano
A. Zinzi: ASI
I. Bertini: Università degli Studi di Napoli ‘Parthenope’
J. R. Brucato: INAF
M. Dall’Ora: INAF
V. Corte: INAF
S. L. Ivanovski: INAF
A. Lucchetti: INAF
M. Pajola: INAF
M. Amoroso: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
O. Barnouin: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
A. Campo Bagatin: Universidad de Alicante
A. Capannolo: Politecnico di Milano
S. Caporali: INAF
M. Ceresoli: Politecnico di Milano
N. L. Chabot: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
A. F. Cheng: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
G. Cremonese: INAF
E. G. Fahnestock: California Institute of Technology
T. L. Farnham: University of Maryland
F. Ferrari: Politecnico di Milano
L. Gomez Casajus: Università di Bologna
E. Gramigna: Università di Bologna
M. Hirabayashi: Auburn University
S. Ieva: INAF
G. Impresario: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
M. Jutzi: University of Bern
R. Lasagni Manghi: Università di Bologna
M. Lavagna: Politecnico di Milano
J.-Y. Li: Planetary Science Institute
M. Lombardo: Università di Bologna
D. Modenini: Università di Bologna
P. Palumbo: INAF
D. Perna: INAF
S. Pirrotta: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
S. D. Raducan: University of Bern
D. C. Richardson: University of Maryland
A. S. Rivkin: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
A. M. Stickle: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
J. M. Sunshine: University of Maryland
P. Tortora: Università di Bologna
F. Tusberti: INAF
M. Zannoni: Università di Bologna

Nature, 2024, vol. 627, issue 8004, 505-509

Abstract: Abstract The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) had an impact with Dimorphos (a satellite of the asteroid Didymos) on 26 September 20221. Ground-based observations showed that the Didymos system brightened by a factor of 8.3 after the impact because of ejecta, returning to the pre-impact brightness 23.7 days afterwards2. Hubble Space Telescope observations made from 15 minutes after impact to 18.5 days after, with a spatial resolution of 2.1 kilometres per pixel, showed a complex evolution of the ejecta3, consistent with other asteroid impact events. The momentum enhancement factor, determined using the measured binary period change4, ranges between 2.2 and 4.9, depending on the assumptions about the mass and density of Dimorphos5. Here we report observations from the LUKE and LEIA instruments on the LICIACube cube satellite, which was deployed 15 days in advance of the impact of DART. Data were taken from 71 seconds before the impact until 320 seconds afterwards. The ejecta plume was a cone with an aperture angle of 140 ± 4 degrees. The inner region of the plume was blue, becoming redder with increasing distance from Dimorphos. The ejecta plume exhibited a complex and inhomogeneous structure, characterized by filaments, dust grains and single or clustered boulders. The ejecta velocities ranged from a few tens of metres per second to about 500 metres per second.

Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06998-2

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