The morphological diversity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Thomas, N.; Sierks, H.; Barbieri, C.; Lamy, Philippe; Rodrigo, R.; Rickman, H.; Koschny, D.; Keller, H. U.; Agarwal, Jessica; A’Hearn, Michael F.; Angrilli, Francesco; Auger, A.-T.; Barucci, M. A.; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Bertini, Ivano; Besse, S.; Bodewits, Dennis; Cremonese, G.; Deppo, Vania Da; Davidsson, B.; Cecco, M. De; Debei, S.; El‐Maarry, M. R.; Ferri, F.; Fornasier, S.; Fulle, M.; Giacomini, L.; Groussin, O.; Gutiérrez, P. J.; Güttler, C.; Hviid, S. F.; Ip, Wing-Huen; Jordá, L.; Knollenberg, J.; Kramm, J.-R.; Kührt, Ekkehard; Küppers, M.; Forgia, Fiorangela La; Lara, L. M.; Lazzarin, M.; Moreno, J. J. Lopez; Magrin, S.; Marchi, S.; Marzari, F.; Massironi, Matteo; Michalik, H.; Moissl, R.; Mottola, S.; Naletto, G.; Oklay, N.; Pajola, M.; Pommerol, Antoine; Preusker, Frank; Sabau, L.; Scholten, F.; Snodgrass, C.; Tubiana, C.; Vincent, Jean‐Baptiste; Wenzel, K.‐P.

doi:10.1126/science.aaa0440

Cited by 277 publications

(160 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The body and head regions have positive curvature and were identified separately by crosschecking the regions on an orthogonal plane projection of the nucleus. Thomas et al (2015) have defined nineteen regions on the nucleus of 67P based on surface morphology, structure, and topography. The bottom panel of Fig.…”

Section: Spatial Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial and diurnal variation of water outgassing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko observed from Rosetta/MIRO in August 2014

Lee

Allmen

Allen

et al. 2015

A&A

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Aims. We present the spatial and diurnal variation of water outgassing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko using the H 16 2 O rotational transition line at 556.936 GHz observed from Rosetta/MIRO in August 2014. Methods. The water line was analyzed with a non-LTE radiative transfer model and an optimal estimation method to retrieve the H 16 2 O outgassing intensity, expansion velocity, and gas kinetic temperature. On August 7−9, 2014 and August 18−19, 2014, MIRO performed long steady nadir-pointing observations of the nucleus while it was rotating around its spin axis. The ground track of the MIRO beam during the observation was mostly on the northern hemisphere of comet 67P, covering its three distinct parts: the so-called head, body, and neck areas. Results. The MIRO spectral observation data show that the water-outgassing intensity varies by a factor of 30, from 0.1 × 10 25 molecules s −1 sr −1 to 3.0 × 10 25 molecules s −1 sr −1 , the terminal gas expansion velocity varies by 0.17 km s −1 from 0.61 km s −1 to 0.78 km s −1 , and the terminal gas temperature varies by 27 K from 47 K to 74 K. The retrieved coma parameters are co-registered with local environment variables such as the subsurface temperatures, measured in the MIRO continuum bands, the local solar time, illumination condition, and beam location on nucleus. The spatial variation of the outgassing activity is very noticeable, and the largest outgassing activity in August 2014 occurs near the neck region of the nucleus. The outgassing activity in the neck region is also found to be correlated with the local solar hour, which is related to the local illumination condition.

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Section: Spatial Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The authors thank Holger Sierks and the OSIRIS team for permission to use the SHAP2 shape model for analysis purposes. We thank Nicolas Thomas and his group at the University of Bern, Switzerland for providing the map of the nineteen regions on the nucleus of 67P defined in Thomas et al (2015).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and diurnal variation of water outgassing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko observed from Rosetta/MIRO in August 2014

Lee

Allmen

Allen

et al. 2015

A&A

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“…Stratospheric collections of dust have already given us similar if smaller examples carbon rich particle clumps (Harris) [7]. The results of Schulz et al [30] are intriguing. Figure 8 (left panels) show images of a particle collected in late October 2014 at a distance of 10-20 km from the surface of the comet.…”

Section: Rosetta and Organic Materialsmentioning

confidence: 72%

Rosetta Studies of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko: Prospects for Establishing Cometary Biology

Nc¹,

Wainwright²,

Smith³

et al. 2015

Astrobiol Outreach

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We discuss a wide range of data emerging from the Rosetta Mission that all point indirectly to biological activity in Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The existence of cracks and fissures on a smooth surface terrain apparently resealed, as well as early outgassing activity are consistent with the existence of subsurface lakes in which biological activity builds up high pressures of volatile gases that sporadically ruptures a frozen icy crust. While microorganisms probably require liquid water bodies for their early colonising of a comet, they can inhabit cracks in ice and sub-crustal snow, especially if they contain antifreeze salts and biopolymers. Some organisms metabolise at temperatures as low as 230 K, explaining the coma of Comet 97P out at 3.9AU and our prediction is that they would become increasingly active in the near-surface layers as the comet approaches its 1.3 AU perihelion. The detection of an overwhelming abundance of complex organic molecules at the surface by Philae and through IR imaging by the Rosetta orbiter is most significant.

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“…Keller et al 1986). Recently, the ROSETTA mission has obtained a significant number of detailed images of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko that reveal a lack of distinct active region with exposed fresh ice chunks (Thomas et al, 2015). The mission has also demonstrated the existence of meter-thick regolith on the nucleus surface that represents ballistic fall-back material from cometary activity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal infrared and optical photometry of Asteroidal Comet C/2002 CE10

Sekiguchi

Miyasaka

Dermawan

et al. 2018

Icarus

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C/2002 CE 10 is an object in a retrograde elliptical orbit with Tisserand parameter −0.853 indicating a likely origin in the Oort Cloud. It appears to be a rather inactive comet since no coma and only a very weak tail was detected during the past perihelion passage. We present multi-color optical photometry, lightcurve and thermal mid-IR observations of the asteroidal comet. With the photometric analysis in BVRI, the surface color is found to be redder than asteroids, corresponding to cometary nuclei and TNOs/Centaurs. The time-resolved differential photometry supports a rotation period of 8.19±0.05 h. The effective diameter and the geometric albedo are 17.9±0.9 km and 0.03±0.01, respectively, indicating a very dark reflectance of the surface. The dark and redder surface color of C/2002 CE 10 may be attribute to devolatilized material by surface aging suffered from the irradiation by cosmic rays or from impact by dust particles in the Oort Cloud. Alternatively, C/2002 CE 10 was formed of very dark refractory material originally like a rocky planetesimal. In both cases, this object lacks ices (on the surface at least). The dynamical and known physical characteristics of C/2002 CE 10 are best compatible with those of the Damocloids population in the Solar System, that appear to be exhaust cometary nucleus in Halley-type orbits. The study of physical properties of rocky Oort cloud objects may give us a key for the formation of the Oort cloud and the solar system.

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The morphological diversity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Cited by 277 publications

References 23 publications

Spatial and diurnal variation of water outgassing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko observed from Rosetta/MIRO in August 2014

Spatial and diurnal variation of water outgassing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko observed from Rosetta/MIRO in August 2014

Rosetta Studies of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko: Prospects for Establishing Cometary Biology

Thermal infrared and optical photometry of Asteroidal Comet C/2002 CE10

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