Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which intentionally collided with the asteroid Dimorphos in 2022, has generated a vast field of rocky debris. This debris, weighing around 2 million pounds (nearly 1 million kilograms), could result in the first human-made meteor shower.
A study by Cornell University suggests that fragments from the DART mission collision could reach Earth and Mars within the next 10 to 30 years. As these particles enter the atmospheres of these planets, they may produce visible meteor showers.
According to researcher Eloy Pena Asensio from Italy’s Polytechnic University of Milan, these meteor showers could last for up to a century. The fragments are expected to arrive intermittently and periodically over this extended period.
The debris particles, ranging from grain-sized to smartphone-sized, are not expected to pose any threat to Earth’s surface. Upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, they would disintegrate, creating luminous streaks in the sky rather than causing any harm.
Scientists made these predictions using data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube), which accompanied the DART mission. By analysing images captured by LICIACube, researchers simulated the trajectories and velocities of the fragments ejected during the collision.
The DART mission, conducted in September 2022, successfully demonstrated Earth’s ability to deflect potentially hazardous asteroids. The spacecraft’s collision with Dimorphos altered the asteroid’s trajectory, reducing its orbital period around its companion asteroid Didymos by 30 minutes.
This groundbreaking mission not only tested planetary defence capabilities but also provided valuable data that could lead to the first human-made meteor showers. These events, while visually striking, serve as a reminder of the broader implications of space exploration and planetary protection efforts.