According to a recent analysis, the targeted object’s shape was probably altered by an American spacecraft striking an asteroid.

In 2022, NASA’s DART probe collided with the asteroid Dimorphos. The impact of the asteroid was around 11 million kilometers away from Earth.

The experiment evaluated a technique for altering some asteroids’ orbits to keep them from potentially colliding with planets in the future.

According to NASA, the crash was successful because the impact’s force altered the asteroid’s orbit around the larger asteroid Didymos. According to NASA’s assessments, the hit also shortened Dimorphos’ orbital period by 33 minutes.

A significant impact like that would often leave the intended object with a sizable crater. However, a recent analysis offers proof that the impact did more than just create a hole; it most likely altered the asteroid’s overall shape.

The study was conducted by astronomers at the University of Bern in Switzerland. A paper presenting the results was just published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The scientists examined the alterations to Dimorphos brought about by the collision using a computer simulation system. The system’s goal was to replicate how struck space objects broke apart.

According to the researchers, space objects colliding has already been replicated using their simulation technique. For instance, the group reported that it verified the outcomes of a Japanese spacecraft’s 2019 sample collection mission from the asteroid Ryugu.

Sabina Raducan works at the University of Bern’s Physics Institute. She participated in project leadership. Raducan called the simulation approach “computationally intensive” in a statement. She claimed that 250 simulations had been finished, all of which replicated the initial two hours following the asteroid strike.

The researchers made advantage of every piece of knowledge on NASA’s operations. These contained information on the actual strike, the anticipated form of Dimorphos, and the extent of the cloud the collision left behind. Furthermore, the group sought to approximate unknown characteristics of the asteroid and its environs.

“Then what we did is check which of the simulation run outcomes most closely match observed reality,” Raducan said.

The research’s findings, she continued, showed unequivocal proof that Dimorphos was reduced to a comparatively weak “rubble pile” asteroid as a result of the collision. According to Raducan, this indicates that the object is not being kept together by a solid and powerful mass, but rather “by the asteroid’s extremely weak gravity.”

The simulation’s outcomes and the team’s investigations, according to the researchers, help to partially explain why the impact was so successful in altering the asteroid’s course.

“The likelihood is that the crater grew to encompass the entire body itself, so that Dimorphos ended up being completely reshaped,” according to Raducan, who claimed that the team was also convinced by the data. Therefore, the likelihood of a crater remaining after the crash is low.

A European Space Agency (ESA) mission could be able to study the existence of a crater further, according to the researchers. Hera, the spacecraft, is getting ready for a potential October launch.

ESA claims that in-depth research on Dimorphos and the asteroid Didymos, which it orbits, will be conducted using Hera’s cameras and equipment. The spacecraft’s goal during the mission will be to gather as much information as possible about this type of asteroid system.