Photo of a possible collision between asteroids

2010/02/04 Lakar Iraizoz, Oihane - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Irudiak/Soinuak
• Astronomia

In a photo recently sent by the Hubble Space Telescope you can see a set of X-shaped dust or sand, with behind a long trail of dust. Studying its shape and characteristics, researchers at the University of California have interpreted it to be due to a frontal collision between two asteroids.

Astronomers have long considered that the collisions between asteroids are very common, especially in the asteroid belt. In fact, the traces of ancient shocks have been very frequent, that is, the fragments of asteroids that exploded in the impact. But they never saw this kind of shocks closely.

Photo: ANDÉN, ESA and D. Jewitt (UCLA)