Key Information
Dimorphos and Didymos
| Type | Asteroid (Binary) |
| Diameter | 2,509 ft (Didymos), 581 ft (Dimorphos) |
| Distance from the Sun | 152, 837, 938 miles |
| Orbit Time | 2.11 years |
| Orbit Time (Dimorphos) | 11 hours 22 minutes |
| Length of Day | 2.259 hours (Didymos), about 11.9 hours (Dimorphos) |
| Temperature | Unknown |
| Atmosphere | None |
| Date of Discovery | April 11, 1996 (Didymos by Spacewatch), November 20, 2003 (Dimorphos, by Petr Pravec) |
Learning Point
- Didymos is a binary asteroid system, meaning it consists of two asteroids orbiting each other. The larger asteroid is called Didymos, and its smaller companion is called Dimorphos. This system gained significant attention when NASA’s DART mission successfully impacted Dimorphos in 2022, demonstrating a crucial step in planetary defense technology. The DART mission aimed to test the feasibility of altering the trajectory of an asteroid through kinetic impact, providing valuable data for future planetary defense strategies.
Project
- Compile some statistics about Didymos and Dimorphos.
- Overview
- Dimorphos Photo
- Impact Photos
Location
| Located in | Solar System, orbiting the Sun |
Fun Facts
- Didymos and Dimorphos are a binary asteroid system, with Dimorphos orbiting Didymos.
- Dimorphos was the target of NASA’s DART mission, the first-ever test of planetary defense technology.
- The DART spacecraft successfully collided with Dimorphos, changing its orbit around Didymos.
- Scientists are still studying the data collected from the DART mission to learn more about asteroid impacts and planetary defense.
Past Lessons
| 121 | January 6, 2025 | (North America) |