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Hubble Views of Dimorphos Ejecta

Image is three columns, each column is a photo with a black background, a bright blue spot is at center. In the panel column all the way to the left, noted as 22 minutes after impact, the center bright spot only has a small amount of dusty haze and only a few spikes closely surrounding it.In the middle column, noted as 5 hours after impact, the haze around the blue dot has expanded wider out with additional spikes and haze.In the column to the left, noted as 8.2 hours after impact, the haze around the blue dot spreads even further, with wisps expanding to the bottom left of the image.

These images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, taken 22 minutes, 5 hours, and 8.2 hours after NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) intentionally impacted Dimorphos, show expanding plumes of ejecta from the asteroid’s body. This event was the world’s first test of the kinetic impact technique using a spacecraft to deflect an asteroid by modifying its orbit.

The Hubble images show ejecta from the impact that appear as rays stretching out from the body of the asteroid. The bolder, fanned-out spike of ejecta to the left of the asteroid is in the general direction from which DART approached. In the Hubble images, astronomers estimate that the brightness of the Didymos system increased by 3 times after impact. They’re also particularly intrigued by how that brightness then held steady, even eight hours after impact.

These observations, when combined with data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, will allow scientists to gain knowledge about the nature of the surface of Dimorphos, how much material was ejected by the collision, how fast it was ejected, and the distribution of particle sizes in the expanding dust cloud.

Hubble will observe the Didymos-Dimorphos system ten more times over the next three weeks to monitor how the ejecta cloud expands and fades over time.

Hubble observations were conducted in one filter, WFC3/UVIS F350LP, and assigned the color blue.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    This image was created from HST data from proposal: 16674 (J. Li).

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3/UVIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    26-27 Sept 2022
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F350LP
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Dimorphos
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) on asteroid Dimorphos
  • Release Date
    September 29, 2022
  • Science Release
    Webb, Hubble Capture Detailed Views of DART Impact
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, Jian-Yang Li (PSI); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Downloads

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Image is three columns, each column is a photo with a black background, a bright blue spot is at center. In the panel column all the way to the left, noted as 22 minutes after impact, the center bright spot only has a small amount of dusty haze and only a few spikes closely surrounding it.In the middle column, noted as 5 hours after impact, the haze around the blue dot has expanded wider out with additional spikes and haze.In the column to the left, noted as 8.2 hours after impact, the haze around the blue dot spreads even further, with wisps expanding to the bottom left of the image.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

The images are separate exposures acquired by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. The color results from assigning a blue hue to a monochromatic (grayscale) image.

Related Images & Videos

On a black background, a bright red spot appears at the center of the image. The spot, which is the asteroid Didymos-Dimorphos system after impact from DART, has 8 diffraction spikes extending out from its center. Also surrounding the asteroid is a haze of bright light with wispy tendrils extending outwards.

Webb View of Dimorphos Ejecta (NIRCam)

This image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument shows Dimorphos, the asteroid moonlet in the double-asteroid system of Didymos, about 4 hours after NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) made impact. A tight, compact core and...

Image is two columns, the column on the left is a photo with a black background and a bright blue spot at the center, labeled as Hubble. There is a bright haze around the dot, which is the Didymos-Dimorphos system, along with 5 diffraction spikes extending outward. The photo on the right is a black background with a bright red spot toward the middle of the image. The spot, which is the asteroid the Didymos-Dimorphos system after impact from DART, has 8 diffraction spikes extending out from its center. Also surrounding the asteroid is a haze of bright light with wispy tendrils extending outwards.

Hubble/Webb Side-by-Side of Dimorphos Ejecta

For the first time, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope have taken simultaneous observations of the same target. These images, Hubble on left and Webb on the right, show observations of the Didymos-Dimorphos system several hours after NASA’s Double...

Image is two columns, the column on the left is a photo with a black background and a bright blue spot at the center, labeled as Hubble. There is a bright haze around the dot, along with 5 diffraction spikes extending outward. The photo on the right is a black background with a bright red spot toward the middle of the image. The spot has 8 diffraction spikes extending out from its center and a haze of bright light with wispy tendrils extending outwards. At the top right of the image, there are arrows indicating the direction of impact by the DART spacecraft. The direction of impact arrow points in the 5 o’clock direction. The to Sun arrow points in the 8 o’clock direction. At the bottom right are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points in the 2 o’clock direction. The east arrow points in the 10 o’clock direction.In the top left corner of each image are the filters used to create the image. For Hubble, F350LP is blue. For Webb, F070W is red.

Hubble/Webb Side-by-Side (WFC3/NIRCam Compass Image)

Image is two columns, the column on the left is a photo with a black background and a bright blue spot at the center, labeled as Hubble. There is a bright haze around the dot, which is the Didymos-Dimorphos system, along with 5 diffraction spikes extending outward. The photo on...

On a black background, a bright blue spot is at center. A smoke-like feature starts emitting from the blue spot on the left side, as the asteroid is impacted by the spacecraft.

Hubble Time-Lapse of Dimorphos Ejecta

This animated gif combines three of the images NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured after NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) intentionally impacted Dimorphos, a moonlet asteroid in the double asteroid system of Didymos. The animation spans from 22 minutes after...

On a black background, a bright spot appears on the edge of the top right, with only 5 diffraction spikes show on its top, bottom and left side. The spot appears to get larger with many spikes of light emitting from it, as the asteroid is impacted by the spacecraft. Afterward, wisps of material stream away to lower left.

Webb Time-Lapse of Dimorphos Ejecta

This animation features a time-lapse of images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope showing the aftermath of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) intentionally slamming into the moonlet asteroid Dimorphos. This animation covers the time spanning just before impact at...

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Last Updated
Mar 11, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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