Hera Spots Half-Hidden Asteroid Moonlet Near Didymos

At a glance

ESA's Hera spacecraft has released a new close-up image of the Didymos binary asteroid system. It shows large boulders and a sharp ridge on the main asteroid's surface.

Key points

1. 1

   Didymos is 780 m across, and its moonlet Dimorphos is 151 m across.

2. 2

   Didymos spins every 2.2 hours, fast enough that surface material may be flowing toward its equator.

3. 3

   In 2022, NASA's DART spacecraft hit Dimorphos and shortened its orbit by about 33 minutes.

4. 4

   Hera will study the impact site and send small CubeSats for a closer survey.

Why it matters

This is the first test of whether a spacecraft can push an asteroid off course, so Hera's findings will shape how Earth could defend itself.