Video Shows NASA Spacecraft Smashing Asteroid From Earth's View

The impact of the asteroid-smashing mission could be seen with a large telescope.

The exact moment that the DART craft hit the asteroid was captured by a telescope in South Africa.

There were other sky-watchers who posted Earth-bound video of the collision. NASA and the University of Hawaii shared their telescope's footage of the moment when DART hit Dimorphos. It is equally amazing.

Doing the Didymos-t

Though Dimorphos, the impacted part of the Didymos asteroid pair, presented no threat to Earth, this first test of DART's capabilities was an important first step in figuring out if NASA's car-sized asteroid defense craft could help stave off others that could wreak major havoc

Judging by how spectacular the collision appeared to have been, and how effusive NASA scientists were about it, it seems likely that DART accomplished its goal, though we are still waiting for data to show how the impact affected the pair's trajectory.

One NASA presenter said on the agency's live stream that humanity one, asteroid zero.

It is hard not to agree with them.

The asteroid's surface is similar to a plastic ball pit.