Fig. 2: LICIACube images of the expanding ejecta cone compared with SPH simulation results.
From: Physical properties of asteroid Dimorphos as derived from the DART impact
a, Image acquired by the LUKE instrument onboard LICIACube at a distance of ~76 km, 160 s after the impact. b, Zoomed-in image of Dimorphos and impact ejecta. The approximate outline of the asteroid is shown in yellow. The ejecta curtain exhibits undulations, filamentary patterns and shadows. c, Bern SPH simulation of the DART impact into a cohesionless, rubble-pile Dimorphos-sized target (with f = 0.55 and ϕ0 = 45%) at T = 160 s. Due to the limited visualization domain, only a portion of the ejecta are shown. d, Simulation of the impact into a rubble-pile Dimorphos-sized target with Y0 = 500 Pa (β = 2.26 ± 0.28). e, Image acquired by LUKE at a distance of ~71 km, 178 s after the impact. f, Zoomed-in image of Dimorphos and impact ejecta. g, Same as c but at T = 178 s. h, Same as d but at T = 178 s. The optical depth of the ejecta cone is not computed for this comparison between the observations and simulation output. Panels a,b,e,f adapted from ref. 4, Springer Nature Limited.
