ESA Releases Hera Image of the Didymos Asteroid System
An image attributed to ESA's Hera mission shows the larger Didymos with part of its moon Dimorphos beneath it.
FlyMarshall Newsroom1 min read
Photo: ESA
ESA released an image of the Didymos asteroid system on November 5, 2026, attributing it to the Hera mission. The image shows Didymos prominently and part of Dimorphos below it.
Key details
- Hera is an ESA spacecraft designed to study the Didymos binary asteroid system after NASA’s DART spacecraft struck Dimorphos on September 26, 2022.
- Didymos measures about 780 meters across, while Dimorphos measures about 160 meters.
- The DART impact shortened Dimorphos’s orbital period around Didymos by about 33 minutes.
- Hera mission scientists have discussed boulders, craters, grooves and ridges on the bodies, and are investigating the origins of those features.
NASA’s DART impact shortened Dimorphos’s orbital period around Didymos by about 33 minutes.
Why it matters
Hera’s observations give scientists a close-up view of a binary asteroid system after a spacecraft impact changed the smaller body’s orbit. The images and surface observations can help researchers examine the effects of that impact.
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