The Landscape of a Comet
The Landscape of a Comet
On August 6th,
Europe's Rosetta spacecraft rendezvoused with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
and began to fly alongside it. Seven days later, mission scientists released
this spectacular view of the comet's double-lobed core:
A closer
look reveals many interesting features: While the comet's head (in the top
half of the image) is scored with parallel linear features, the neck is
peppered with boulders resting on a smooth underlying terrain. In comparison,
the comet's body (lower half of the image) is jagged and dimpled by crater-like
depressions.
Now imagine
this magnificent landscape ruptured by dozens of geysers spewing dust and gas
into space. Future pictures may show exactly that. Rosetta will follow this
comet for more than a year as it approaches the sun. In 2015, if not sooner,
solar heating will activate the comet's icy core, creating a riot of activity
the likes of which no spacecraft has ever seen before. Stay tuned for that.
From SpaceWeather.com
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