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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
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, CSA, Cristina Thomas, Ian Wong; Animation: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Science Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, Cristina Thomas, Ian Wong

Animation Credit

Joseph DePasquale (STScI)