Damya Souami

Abstract In September 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft crashed into Dimorphos and demonstrated the kinetic impact method of protecting Earth from asteroids. A fraction of the impulse delivered to Dimorphos was also imparted onto the Didymos system’s barycenter, changing its heliocentric orbit. Here, we present the first-ever measurement of human-caused change in the heliocentric orbit of a celestial body.

Abstract Stellar occultations, when a distant object passes in front of a star and casts a shadow on Earth, are a powerful tool to probe the physical properties of solar system bodies. They enable precise size and shape measurements and can reveal rings, satellites, atmospheres, or surface features. Here we present results from two stellar occultations by Hiʻiaka, dwarf planet Haumea’s largest satellite, observed in April 2021.

Abstract Magnetar giant flares are rare explosive events releasing up to 1047 erg in gamma rays in less than 1 second from young neutron stars with magnetic fields up to 1015−16 G (refs. 1,2). Only three such flares have been seen from magnetars in our Galaxy3,4 and in the Large Magellanic Cloud5 in roughly 50 years.