Hera probe gets 1st good look at asteroid system clobbered by NASA's DART mission | Space photo of the day for Nov. 6, 2026

Following a successful impact by NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission on September 26th, 2026, the European Space Agency’s Hera probe has achieved its primary objective – obtaining a detailed visual assessment of the Didymos binary asteroid system. The initial images captured represent the very first high-resolution photographs taken by a spacecraft of this specific celestial body. Scientists are analyzing the data to precisely measure the extent of the crater created by DART's kinetic impact, which occurred approximately 113 million kilometers from Earth. This groundbreaking observation marks humanity’s inaugural deliberate alteration of an object in space and provides invaluable insights into planetary defense strategies. The team is now focused on characterizing the resulting debris field surrounding the altered Didymos asteroid.