NASA shared new results from its DART mission, where a spacecraft purposely bumped into a small asteroid named Dimorphos. Dimorphos is like a “moon” that circles a bigger asteroid named Didymos. Scientists already knew the bump changed how Dimorphos loops around Didymos.
Now researchers say the hit also caused a small, long-lasting change in how the asteroid pair travels around the Sun. That means a tiny push didn’t just affect their local “dance” around each other—it also nudged their bigger journey through space.
To figure this out, scientists watch carefully over years and use several kinds of observations. One clever method is a stellar occultation, when an asteroid passes in front of a faraway star and the star’s light blinks for a moment. By combining many observations, researchers can measure changes that are very small.
This matters because it helps experts understand how a gentle bump can add up over time. If people ever need to move a dangerous asteroid far in the future, careful measurements like these can help planners predict where it will go—like steering a bike slightly and ending up on a different street later.
Now researchers say the hit also caused a small, long-lasting change in how the asteroid pair travels around the Sun. That means a tiny push didn’t just affect their local “dance” around each other—it also nudged their bigger journey through space.
To figure this out, scientists watch carefully over years and use several kinds of observations. One clever method is a stellar occultation, when an asteroid passes in front of a faraway star and the star’s light blinks for a moment. By combining many observations, researchers can measure changes that are very small.
This matters because it helps experts understand how a gentle bump can add up over time. If people ever need to move a dangerous asteroid far in the future, careful measurements like these can help planners predict where it will go—like steering a bike slightly and ending up on a different street later.