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"Dimorphos" is the name of the smaller asteroid.
It is the target of the "Dart" mission, in which a space probe hits the celestial body with full force in order to divert it from its orbit.
This double asteroid called "Didymos" was only discovered in 1996.
Sometimes the two parts get closer to around seven million kilometers from the earth.
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During the time of the dinosaurs, a giant meteorite struck the earth near what is now Mexico.
The catastrophic impact resulted in mass extinction.
Photo: dpa picture alliance / / picture alliance / Science Photo
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This computer simulation shows the Nördlinger Ries shortly after the meteorite hit.
Photo: akg-images / DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / akg-images / DETLEV VAN RAVENSWA
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The traces of a meteorite impact can also be seen in southern Germany.
The city of Nördlingen on the edge of the Swabian Alb lies in a circular crater.
Photo: oliverfoerschner / Shutterstock / oliverfoerschner
