Asteroid Dimorphos

Asteroid Dimorphos is a small celestial body that orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos, located about 7 million miles from Earth. It gained attention when NASA's DART mission intentionally collided with it in September 2022 to test a method of altering an asteroid's orbit. This impact aimed to demonstrate a potential way to protect Earth from future asteroid threats. Dimorphos itself is about 530 feet in diameter and completes an orbit around Didymos every 11 hours and 55 minutes. This experiment marked an important step in planetary defense and our understanding of how to manage potential asteroid risks.