Suspected Asteroid Collision Leaves Trailing Debris
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 10:28
in Astronomy & Space
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed a mysterious X-shaped debris pattern and trailing streamers of dust that suggest a head-on collision between two asteroids. Astronomers have long thought the asteroid belt is being ground down through collisions, but such a smashup has never been seen before.