Science

muriel_volestrangler

(102,811 posts)

7. No, this is minutes of time (for the period of the orbit around the larger asteroid), not angle

Thu Oct 13, 2022, 01:20 PM

Oct 2022

The observed decreases in relative brightness for each night’s dataset correspond to Dimorphos eclipses from a new orbital period of 11 hours and 23 minutes – demonstrating that the eclipse timing differs from pre-impact period of 11 hours and 55 minutes.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-dart-imagery-shows-changed-orbit-of-target-asteroid

An orbit with a shorter period has less energy (eg it needs less energy to send a satellite into a low orbit around Earth that takes around 100 minutes, than to put it into a geostationary orbit that takes 24 hours). So they know that they took a significant amount of kinetic energy out of this asteroid by hitting it 'head on'. If they can work out its mass accurately (which such a close-up view may help with), they will know how much.

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"The DART spacecraft changed the orbital period of Dimorphos by a whopping 32 minutes" [View all] Talitha Oct 2022 OP

That's pretty damn good, but what does this mean? OAITW r.2.0 Oct 2022 #1

Does that mean it shifted it's path by degrees... brush Oct 2022 #2

No. It is in orbit around a second asteroid. A real problem asteroid would get more mass Bernardo de La Paz Oct 2022 #4

Did the hit alter/change the orbit of the smaller asteroid... brush Oct 2022 #5

Yup, you got it. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Oct 2022 #6

I guess that qualifies as a success PSPS Oct 2022 #3

No, this is minutes of time (for the period of the orbit around the larger asteroid), not angle muriel_volestrangler Oct 2022 #7