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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 7:14 pm EDT through 5 hours post-impact. Plumes of material from a compact core appear as wisps streaming away from where the impact took place. An area of rapid, extreme brightening is also visible in the animation. 

In the coming months, scientists will use Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) to observe ejecta from Dimorphos further. Spectroscopic data will also provide researchers with insight into the asteroid’s composition.

Webb’s observations were conducted in the filter F070W (0.7 microns, assigned the color red).

NIRCam was built by a team at the University of Arizona and Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center.

 

  • Release Date
    September 29, 2022
  • Science Release
    Webb, Hubble Capture Detailed Views of DART Impact
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, CSA, Cristina Thomas, Ian Wong; Animation: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

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Related Images & Videos

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.

Hubble Views of Dimorphos Ejecta

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...

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...

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Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

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

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