HotPopRobot

Arushi Nath. Grade 8 Student. On 2 November 2022, I will be delivering a presentation on the photometric observations I have been undertaking on the Didymos asteroid system at the monthly meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Toronto.

The presentation, “Photometric observations of Didymos asteroid system (post impact by DART Mission): Using robotic telescopes, open datasets, and maths” would cover observations taken after 26 September 2022. Everyone is welcome to view the presentation live online at: https://www.youtube.com/rasctoronto/live interact with speakers and ask questions. It will also be recorded and become available for later viewing.

More information about this event, starting 7.30pm onwards, as well as other speakers talking on astronomy-related projects, is available at https://rascto.ca/content/recreational-astronomy-night-online-21

If you are interested in viewing my pre-impact Photometric Observations, then you may check out my presentation given at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Toronto Meeting on 5 October 2022: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iqA8Wj4IRM8&t=3373s

On 26 September 2022, 7:14 p.m. EDT, the NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission successfully impacted Dimorphos – the moonlet of Didymos as a part of its first planetary defense technology demonstration. I have been following the DART mission for the past year, learning more about the project goals, how they plan to achieve them, and evaluating if the mission is a success. It has allowed me to explore how citizen scientists can contribute to this project.

The asteroid moonlet Dimorphos is 160 meters in diameter and orbits the asteroid Didymos, which is 780-meter in diameter. Neither of them poses a threat to Earth. Understanding the dynamics of the asteroid system namely the orbital period of the moonlet prior to the impact was used as a baseline for measuring the outcomes of the DART’s impact. The current orbital period of the satellite is 11 hours and 23 minutes reduced by 32 minutes from the previous orbital period of 11 hours and 55 minutes.

I have been using robotic telescopes in Chile and Australia to take photometric measurements to generate light curves. As lots of observations are needed to create accurate light curves, I am collaborating with other astronomers and making use of open datasets to further my citizen science research. I will continue making these photometric observations to assess the outcome of the impact and measure changes in the Didymos system in the coming months.

Check my previous blog post on the pre-impact findings https://hotpoprobot.com/2022/10/03/presentation-on-didymos-asteroid-system-photometric-observations-pre-impact-royal-astronomical-society-of-canada-toronto/