Rock on.
Asteroid debris from a small moon partially exploded by a NASA spacecraft could float across Earth’s skies, creating a stunning light display.
Rocket scientist Dr. Eloy Peña-Asensio of the Polytechnic Institute of Milan made this claim after studying the effects of the 2022 mission.
“Due to their small size and high speed, the rocks will disintegrate in the atmosphere and create a beautiful glowing streak in the sky,” the expert explained to Universe Today about the possible consequences.
During NASA’s 2022 mission, one of the agency’s spacecraft intentionally collided with a small moon called Dimorphos, which orbited the much larger asteroid Didymos, changing its shape.
The project – known as the Double Asteroids Redirect Test or DART – was designed to investigate whether scientists would be able to adjust the orbit of an asteroid should it ever threaten Earth.
Using data from the DART mission, the research team has published a peer-reviewed paper on what appears to be happening to the debris.
Scientists believe that debris from the collision could remain floating in space for years before reaching both Mars and Earth.
Initial speculations suggest that it will fly over the red planet in about 13 years.
Scientists now believe it could take up to 30 years for the debris to float above the Earth – but it could result in a meteor shower that would provide quite a spectacle.
