Investigating ejecta plume and tail of (65803) Didymos binary system
- 1Université de Liège, Space sciences, Technologies & Astrophysics Research (STAR) Institute, COMETA, Ougree, Belgium (elisabetaa.petrescu@gmail.com)
- 2Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
- 3Technical University of Munich, Germany
- 4ESA NEO Coordination Centre, Largo Galileo Galilei, 1, I-00044 Frascati (RM), Italy
- 5European Space Agency—ESRIN, Via Galileo Galilei, I-00044 Frascati (RM), Italy
- 6University Institute of Physics Applied to Sciences and Technologies, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
- 7Institut de Ciéncies del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona (IEEC-UB), Carrer de Martí i Franqués, 1, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
- 8IMCCE-CNRS UMR8028, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Université
- 9Sorbonne Université, 77 Av. Denfert-Rochereau, 75014 Paris, France
- 10IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
- 11Observatoire astronomique des Makes, France
- 12University of Central Florida (HC-3 Box 53995, Arecibo, PR 00612, USA
The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft was the first Planetary Defence mission to hit an asteroid, specifically the moon of Didymos, Dimorphos [1]. This impact altered Dimorphos's orbital parameters and excavating significant amount of material. The resultant was observed through limited ground-based telescopes, and for several months after the impact, the asteroid became the first man-made active asteroid, exhibiting mass loss that manifested as a tail, which changed over time [2].
The measurements presented here derive from a unique set of photometric data obtained from the ground over several months covering the period before, during and after the impact, between August 2022 and January 2023. The data set taken in collaboration with ESA at Les Makes Observatory (La Réunion) [3], was excellently located to observe the impact and contains more than 8500 images taken over multiple months before and after impact. Another unique data set comes from the TRAPPIST telescopes network [4], two 0.6-m twin telescopes located in Morocco and in Chile. The data from TRAPPIST, contain almost 14 000 images, spanning several months. The images were taken in different filters, for photometric and colour measurements that gave us more information about the asteroid and also the dust composition of the ejecta tail.
Here, we present the observations, their analysis and preliminary results on the evolution of ejecta plume and the long-lasting tail.
Acknowledgement
This research is funded by the University of Liège and takes place under the COMETA team, and is made possible through TRAPPIST that is a project funded by the Belgian Fonds (National) de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS) under grant T.0120.21 and the support and collaboration of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, Les Makes Observatory, and the European Space Agency. Özgur Karateking, acknowledges the support of European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, NEO-MAPP project (grant: 870377) as well as the funding support from the PRODEX program managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) with help of the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO).
Reference
[1] Nancy L. Chabot et al (including Petrescu E.), PSJ 5:49 (24pp), 2024 February 2024;
[2] Nicholas Moskovitz et al 2024 Planet. Sci. J. 5 35;
[3] https://www.observatoiredesmakes.com/
[4] Jehin E. et al, The Messenger, vol. 145, p. 2-6, 2011;
How to cite: Petrescu, E., Karatekin, Ö., Koschny, D., Jëhin, E., Vander Donckt, M., Henry, G., Ferrais, M., Micheli, M., Föhring, D., Conversi, L., Santana-Ros, T., Berthier, J., Koltz, A., Thierry, P., and Vachier, F.: Investigating ejecta plume and tail of (65803) Didymos binary system, Europlanet Science Congress 2024, Berlin, Germany, 8–13 Sep 2024, EPSC2024-975, https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-975, 2024.
