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A spacecraft named Hera has successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a mission to study the asteroid Dimorphos, which was intentionally redirected by NASA in 2022. The launch took place at 10:52 local time (15:52 BST) on Monday, marking a significant step in international efforts to explore how we can prevent potential asteroid threats to Earth. The Hera mission, led by the European Space Agency (ESA), aims to gather vital data about Dimorphos, located approximately seven million miles away, with an expected arrival in December 2026.

Understanding Asteroid Redirection

Dimorphos is a small moon with a diameter of 160 metres that orbits a larger asteroid, Didymos. The DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission by NASA successfully altered Dimorphos’s trajectory in a groundbreaking test. According to NASA scientists, the collision with the spacecraft shifted the asteroid’s course by a few metres. Although Dimorphos was not on a collision course with Earth, the experiment demonstrated that asteroid redirection is feasible, providing critical insights into how we might tackle real threats in the future.

Objectives of the Hera Mission

Upon reaching Dimorphos, the Hera spacecraft will conduct an in-depth examination of the impact crater created by the DART collision. Additionally, it will deploy two cube-shaped probes designed to analyse the asteroid’s composition and mass. Dr Naomi Murdoch, a scientist at the European Space Agency, emphasised the importance of understanding the physical properties of asteroids, such as their composition, to enhance future deflection strategies.

The Importance of Asteroid Research

While there is currently no significant threat of a massive asteroid impact akin to the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, smaller asteroids can and do collide with Earth. A notable incident occurred in 2013, when a house-sized asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, injuring over 1,600 people. This highlights the necessity for ongoing research into asteroid detection and redirection methods.

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New Analysis of 1977 Wow! Signal Reveals Stronger Cosmic Mystery

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The famous 1977 “Wow!” signal — a mysterious radio burst detected by Ohio’s Big Ear telescope — has been reanalyzed using modern computing techniques. Researchers digitized old telescope records, finding the signal was about four times stronger than first thought, peaking at 250 Janskys. The recalculations also refined its frequency and sky location, ruling …

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Astronomers Capture Sharpest-Ever Solar Flare Images with NSF’s DKIST Telescope

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Astronomers have achieved a major breakthrough by capturing the sharpest images of a solar flare ever recorded, using the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST). Observed at the hydrogen-alpha wavelength during the decay of an X1.3-class solar flare, the images unveiled hundreds of ultra-fine coronal loops averaging just 48 kilometers…

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James Webb Detects Carbon Dioxide–Dominated Coma in Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS

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The James Webb Space Telescope observed 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object detected in our solar system. Its coma is unusually rich in carbon dioxide with little water or carbon monoxide, suggesting a CO₂-rich core or an insulating crust. Findings raise new questions about its cosmic origin.

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