Since the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope in the year 1990, the extremely powerful eyes in space has recorded and sent back numerous images, that have given the scientist unique insights, into the way the universe works, meteor showers, to the detection of new planets, that would have been impossible without the help of Hubble Telescope. Now, the huge telescope has again proven its worth, as the telescope captured the images of what scientists believe to be a collision between two asteroids, a feat never seen before.

The phenomenon of Zodiacal Light is said to be the aftermaths of asteroid collisions as the dust particles from the integrated asteroids are illuminated by sun’s light. Scientists and astrophysicists have long believed that the asteroid belts surrounding various planets have been degrading due to collision between these celestial objects, but never has the theory of the collision of asteroids been substantiated, until now. The recent images relayed by the Hubble, shows X-shaped debris pattern along with dust debris, that strongly points towards a head on collision between two asteroids.

The possible impact of the two asteroids was initially discovered by Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program on January 6th, 2010. LINEAR is a space initiative under the umbrella of the U.S Air Force and managed by MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts. The object termed as P/2010 A2 was later observed by the Hubble Telescope, that then discovered the X shaped disintegration pattern along with dust and debris.

According to David Jewitt (University of California, Los Angeles),

“This is quite different from the smooth dust envelopes of normal comets. The filaments are made of dust and gravel, presumably recently thrown out of the nucleus. Some are swept back by radiation pressure from sunlight to create straight dust streaks. Embedded in the filaments are co-moving blobs of dust that likely originated from tiny unseen parent bodies. If this interpretation is correct, two small and previously unknown asteroids recently collided, creating a shower of debris that is being swept back into a tail from the collision site by the pressure of sunlight. The filamentary appearance of P/2010 A2 is different from anything seen in Hubble images of normal comets, consistent with the action of a different process.”

Via NASA