NASA's DART asteroid impact test left a trail over 6,000 miles long

NASA's successful asteroid impact test apparently created a mess. As The Associated Press reports, astronomers using the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope in Chile have captured an image revealing that DART's collision with Dimorphos left a trail of dust and other debris measuring more than 6,000 miles. long. The spaceship wasn't solely responsible; radiation pressure from the Sun instead pushed the material away as it would a comet's tail.

The trail will only get bigger, according to the researchers. It should eventually stretch to the point where the dust stream is virtually unrecognizable from the usual particles floating around in the solar system. NASA has created no headaches for future probes and explorers. The space agency chose Dimorphos (a moon of the asteroid Didymos) because the deliberate crash would not pose a threat to Earth.

Capturing wasn't just about getting a spectacular snapshot, of course. Scientists will use data gathered using SOAR, the Astronomical Events Observing Network and other observers to better understand the collision and Dimorphos itself. They will determine the amount and speed of material ejected from the asteroid, and whether or not DART produced large chunks of debris or "just" fine dust. These will help understand how spacecraft can alter an asteroid's orbit and potentially improve Earth's defenses against wayward cosmic rocks.

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