The James Webb and Hubble telescopes recorded the DART probe collision with an asteroid

The Double Asteroid Rendezvous Test (DART) kamikaze space probe crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos this week. The collision was observed by James Webb and Hubble. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have published photos taken by two telescopes.

Here's What We Know

Andy Rivkin, DART mission leader, said that James Webb and Hubble were able to photograph the same space object for the first time ever. Scientists note that the new James Webb telescope used instruments to take pictures in infrared light, while Hubble photographed the visible part of the spectrum.

After the kamikaze probe collided with the asteroid, there was an explosion, at the center of which increased brightness levels were observed for several hours. The telescope footage also shows plumes of ejected matter.

With DART, NASA tested planetary defenses for the first time ever. The space probe was supposed to shorten Dimorph's orbit time around the larger asteroid. However, scientists have not yet learned how the collision affected the trajectory of the space body. Experts hope that the orbital time will be reduced by 10 minutes, although the success of the mission will be considered a reduction of 73 seconds.

Source: CNET