NASA's Bold Spacecraft Collision Test Could Spark a 100-Year Meteor Shower

This test could create the first human-made meteor shower, and we're here for it!

Jesse

• Published in News
• September 2, 2024

Imagine looking up at the night sky and witnessing a spectacular meteor shower that will dazzle generations to come, not because of a cosmic event from millions of miles away but because of a deliberate action by humankind.

This isn't a plot from a sci-fi movie; it's a potential reality, thanks to NASA’s audacious experiment in planetary defense.

In 2022, NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft intentionally collided with the small asteroid Dimorphos. This dramatic mission was designed to test whether crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid could alter its trajectory, a technique that could one day be used to protect Earth from a potential impact.

But the collision might have done more than just shift an asteroid's path—it could have created the first human-made meteor shower.

A new study suggests that the rocky debris ejected from Dimorphos could result in a meteor shower that could last for 100 years, known as the Dimorphids. Neither Dimorphos nor its larger companion, Didymos, poses any threat to Earth.

However, the mission’s success in altering Dimorphos’ orbit around Didymos has provided invaluable data for future planetary defense strategies. If confirmed, the Dimorphids would be confirmation of humanity’s growing capability to shape the cosmos, not just in our immediate vicinity but across the universe.

Scroll down for more juicy details...

This final close-up of the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos was taken from about 7 miles (12 kilometers) away by the DRACO imager on NASA's DART mission. Interestingly, it was captured just 2 seconds before impact.

For nearly two years, astronomers have closely monitored the aftermath of the DART mission's impact using ground-based telescopes. They've confirmed that the spacecraft successfully altered Dimorphos' path, shortening its orbital period around Didymos by about 32 to 33 minutes.

However, the collision also generated an astonishing amount of debris—over 2 million pounds (nearly 1 million kilograms) of rocks and dust, enough to fill six or seven rail cars. The ultimate fate of this material in space has been a lingering mystery.

Recent research now suggests that fragments of Dimorphos might start arriving near Earth and Mars within the next few decades. Some of this debris could reach Mars in as soon as seven years, while smaller particles might enter Earth's atmosphere within the next decade. The Planetary Science Journal has accepted this groundbreaking study for publication.

'This material could produce visible meteors (commonly called shooting stars) as they penetrate the Martian atmosphere,' said Eloy Peña Asensio, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher with the Deep-space Astrodynamics Research and Technology group at Italy’s Polytechnic University of Milan.

'Once the first particles reach Mars or Earth, they could continue to arrive intermittently and periodically for at least the next 100 years, which is the duration of our calculations.' Asensio added.

LICIACube captures dramatic plumes of debris erupting from the Dimorphos asteroid following NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirect Test impact on September 26, 2022.

Peña Asensio noted that earlier research before the impact had hinted at Dimorphos' particles possibly reaching Earth or Mars. However, for their recent study, the team focused their simulations to match the post-impact data from LICIACube.

Their findings reveal that debris expelled from Dimorphos at speeds of 1,118 miles per hour (500 meters per second) could potentially reach Mars. Meanwhile, smaller, faster particles traveling at 3,579 miles per hour (1,600 meters per second) might even make it to Earth.

Despite some uncertainty surrounding the debris' characteristics, the team determined that the fastest fragments could reach Earth in under a decade. Although the researchers believe it’s unlikely that a Dimorphids meteor shower will reach Earth, they can't completely dismiss the possibility. If such an event were to happen, it would result in a faint, subtle meteor shower.

'The resulting meteor shower would be easily identifiable on Earth, as it would not coincide with any known meteor showers,' he explained. 'These meteors would be slow-moving, with peak activity expected in May, and primarily visible from the southern hemisphere, seemingly originating from near the Indus constellation.'

While this scenario wasn't the main focus of their paper, the researchers also hinted at the possibility that Dimorphos' debris might reach other nearby asteroids.

Moments before impact, Dimorphos' surface reveals scattered boulders in striking detail.

In a universe where humanity’s reach now extends to nudging asteroids and possibly creating our own celestial light shows, the cosmos feels just a bit more connected to us earthbound dreamers.

As we continue to explore and even reshape the skies, one thing is clear: space is no longer just the final frontier—it’s becoming our cosmic playground, where even our smallest actions can leave a lasting impact.

Jesse