ESA's Hera probe resolves Didymos into two separate asteroids

The European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft has resolved the Didymos binary into two distinct asteroids for the first time, from about 197 million km away. The probe imaged Didymos and its moon Dimorphos on the evening of 18 Oct, from 1,280 km. Earlier in October, two thruster firings a week apart slowed Hera to 20 m/s relative to the pair. Didymos measures 780 m across and Dimorphos 151 m, orbiting roughly 1.15 km apart. The mission follows NASA's DART impact on Dimorphos in September 2022. The first detailed images of Dimorphos are due for release on 25 Nov.