This dust is also thought to be insulating the comet, based on data from the Microwave Instrument on the Rosetta Orbiter (Miro). Much of the comet also appears to be covered in dust, as a result of dust that is dragged along by the comet falling to the surface over time. ‘We have already learned a lot in the few months we have been alongside the comet, but as more and more data are collected and analysed from this close study of the comet we hope to answer many key questions about its origin and evolution.’įrom the images and data, five basic - but diverse - categories of terrain type have been determined: dust-covered brittle materials with pits and circular structures large-scale depressions smooth terrains and more ‘rock-like’ surfaces. ‘Rosetta is essentially living with the comet as it moves towards the sun along its orbit, learning how its behaviour changes on a daily basis and, over longer timescales, how its activity increases, how its surface may evolve, and how it interacts with the solar wind,’ said Esa Rosetta project scientist Matt Taylor. The remaining 30 per cent will remain unseen and shrouded in darkness until the comet makes its closest approach to the sun in August. ![]() ![]() Many of the images were returned by the Osiris (Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System) camera on the Rosetta spacecraft, which has imaged 70 percent of the comet’s surface to date. He said the interior is now thought to be analogous to 'ash, cigarette ash or super-dry powder snow.' Using data from Rosetta, scientists revealed that the comet’s interior is ‘fluffy’.Īmong the other discoveries they found that the comet's neck may have been 'eaten away' over time, rather than being the result of two smaller bodies merging together.įrom the data, Dr Holger Sierks from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research told MailOnline that they now had a greater understanding of the comet's interior. Yesterday the shape, evolution and lifespan of comet 67P-Churyumov/Gerasimenko were revealed in a series of groundbreaking papers in the journal Science.
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