The experiment will help NASA develop technology that could one day prevent a devastating asteroid strike on Earth. 26), by slamming into the 525-foot-wide (160 m) asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in an attempt to change its orbit around the 2,560-foot-wide (780 m) parent space rock Didymos.

DART, for Double Asteroid Redirection Test, successfully self-destructed on Monday (Sept. LICIACube is a 31-pound (14 kilograms) spacecraft whose sole purpose is to witness first-hand the impact and the direct aftermath of the ground-breaking DART mission. 'Now weeks and months of hard work are starting for scientists and technicians involved in this mission, so stay tuned because we will have a lot to tell!'

'Here are the first images taken by #LICIACube of #DARTmission impact on asteroid #Dimorphos,' the LICIACube team tweeted on Tuesday (Sept. Tuesday, September 27, 2022: The Italian LICIACube cubesat, which traveled to the binary asteroid Didymos aboard NASA's asteroid-smashing DART mission, captured these images of DART's collision with its target space rock. – Tereza Pultarova Hurricane Ian swirls over Gulf of Mexico ahead of Florida landfall Weather forecasters warn that Ian may strengthen again as it moves northward over South Carolina, bringing torrential rains and powerful winds. The storm made landfall as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane on the southwestern coast near Tampa earlier on Wednesday, and although it weakened into a 'mere' tropical storm shortly thereafter, it caused wide reaching destruction that rescue teams are only beginning to assess. The comparison image on the right was taken four days earlier. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reveals the scale of the power outages that hit Florida after Ian swept across the state on Wednesday afternoon and into the night. 29 by the NOAA 20 satellite operated by the U.S. The image on the left, taken on the night of Sept. Thursday, September 28, 2022: Satellites captured darkened Florida after devastating Hurricane Ian cut power to millions of homes. –Tereza Pultarova Lights off in Florida after hurricane Ian's rampage The last time scientists could get such an up-close glimpse of Europa, which is one of the likeliest places in the solar system to harbor primitive life, was in January 2000 when NASA's Galileo probe zoomed 218 miles (351 km) above Europa's surface. EDT (0936 GMT).ĭuring the flyby, Juno zipped at a distance of only 219 miles (352 kilometers) from Europa's surface, the third closest pass at the moon performed by any spacecraft. This image, taken as the probe approached the moon, was shared by NASA (opens in new tab) on Twitter on Thursday, September 29, shortly after the closest pass, which took place at 5:36 a.m. (Image credit: NASA)įriday, September 30, 2022: NASA's Jupiter explorer Juno has made a close flyby of the giant planet's ice-covered moon Europa, providing the most detailed views of this strange world in more than twenty years. NASA's Jupiter-exploring spacecraft Juno made a close pass at the giant planet's ice-covered moon Europa on Sept. – Tereza Pultarova The closest views of Europa in more than 20 years The technique might one day be used to deflect a stray rock on a collision course with Earth. Astronomers are now observing the system to determine whether DART succeeded. Dimorphos orbits a larger, 2,560-foot-wide (780 m) rock called Didymos, and it was the orbit of the moonlet around the parent asteroid that the DART mission intended to change.

LICIACube's purpose was to witness DART's encounter with the 525-foot-wide (160 meters) asteroid moonlet Dimorphos and inspect the aftermath of the experiment, which marked the first ever attempt to alter the orbit of a celestial body. 2), was taken just before DART smashed into the asteroid Dimorphos on Monday (Sept. The picture, released by the LICIACube team on Twitter on Sunday (Oct. Monday, October 3, 2022: The tiny cubesat that traveled with NASA's DART mission to the Didymos binary asteroid system to witness DART's collision with the rock snapped a picture of Earth and the moon.

Nasa picture of the day today