Scientists report that fresh evidence supports findings from a previous study that suggested the targeted object’s form was altered after a spaceship collided with an asteroid.

The most recent investigation looks at the impact of the asteroid strike after another recent study. In 2022, in a region roughly 11 million kilometers from Earth, NASA’s DART mission collided with the asteroid Dimorphos.

The experiment examined a strategy for altering some asteroids’ orbits in order to divert them from potential future collisions with Earth.

NASA has stated that its analysis of the collision revealed it was effective since the impact altered the asteroid’s orbit around Didymos, a larger asteroid. The strike shortened Dimorphos’ orbital period by 33 minutes, according to data as well.

It appears that the crash altered Dimorphos’ shape in addition to altering the asteroid’s orbit, according to the research team that conducted the most current study.

This supports findings from a previous study that suggested Dimorphos had probably been “completely reshaped” by the collapse, becoming a comparatively feeble pile of “rubble.” To examine the alterations to Dimorphos, the research team employed a computer simulation system.

According to the latest research, Dimorphos was primarily circular in shape prior to the collision, but the impact changed it so that it now resembles a watermelon. According to the experts, the phrase triaxial ellipsoid is the scientific term for this type of shape.

Senior research scientist Steve Chesley works for NASA at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. He co-wrote a report summarizing the discoveries that was just published in the Planetary Science Journal.

According to Chesley, who spoke with the Reuters news agency, Dimorphos is presently made up of a variety of non-solid waste, such as pebbles, dust, and other elements. Because of its “strength being quite low,” Dimorphos can reconfigure more easily than a more substantial object.

Shantanu Naidu was the primary author of the new study. He told Reuters that because so much of the material was reduced to rubble by the asteroid’s impact, the asteroid was able to entirely change its shape.

The shape and orbit of Dimorphos were determined by the astronomers using data from ground-based telescopic observations. They examined the temporal variations in sunlight reflections from the surfaces of the two asteroids. They also made use of pictures taken by the DART probe and information from radio waves that struck the objects.

Scholars have expressed their expectation for future discoveries regarding the two asteroids.

The Hera spacecraft of the European Space Agency is scheduled to launch in October and arrive at the asteroids by the end of 2026. According to ESA, in-depth research on Dimorphos and Didymos will be conducted using Hera’s cameras and instruments. The spacecraft’s goal during the mission will be to gather as much information as possible about this type of asteroid system.

“We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of ESA’s Hera spacecraft, when we will be able to compare our modeled shape with that obtained from Hera imagery,”  stated Chesley. “We will also learn how much the orbit has changed since we last observed it in 2023,” he continued.