Unusual Behavior of NASA's Collided Asteroid Baffles High School Students

High school students from The Thacher School have discovered that the orbit of asteroid Dimorphos continued to change for a month after being impacted by NASA's DART mission. The impact was intended to shift the asteroid to a different orbit, but the change was greater than expected. The students observed that the period of Dimorphos increased over time, contrary to initial measurements. It is believed that the impact caused material to be ejected and return to the asteroid, slowing it down further. The European Space Agency's Hera mission will provide more insights into the collision and its consequences.