Cometary science. On the nucleus structure and activity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Holger Sierks¹, Cesare Barbieri², Philippe L Lamy³, Rafael Rodrigo⁴, Detlef Koschny⁵, Hans Rickman⁶, Horst Uwe Keller⁷, Jessica Agarwal⁸, Michael F A'Hearn⁹, Francesco Angrilli¹⁰, Anne-Therese Auger¹¹, M Antonella Barucci¹², Jean-Loup Bertaux¹³, Ivano Bertini¹⁴, Sebastien Besse⁵, Dennis Bodewits¹⁵, Claire Capanna¹¹, Gabriele Cremonese¹⁶, Vania Da Deppo¹⁷, Björn Davidsson¹⁸, Stefano Debei¹⁰, Mariolino De Cecco¹⁹, Francesca Ferri¹⁴, Sonia Fornasier¹², Marco Fulle²⁰, Robert Gaskell²¹, Lorenza Giacomini¹⁴, Olivier Groussin¹¹, Pablo Gutierrez-Marques⁸, Pedro J Gutiérrez²², Carsten Güttler⁸, Nick Hoekzema⁸, Stubbe F Hviid²³, Wing-Huen Ip²⁴, Laurent Jorda¹¹, Jörg Knollenberg²⁵, Gabor Kovacs⁸, J Rainer Kramm⁸, Ekkehard Kührt²⁵, Michael Küppers²⁶, Fiorangela La Forgia², Luisa M Lara²², Monica Lazzarin², Cédric Leyrat¹², Josè J Lopez Moreno²², Sara Magrin², Simone Marchi²⁷, Francesco Marzari², Matteo Massironi²⁸, Harald Michalik²⁹, Richard Moissl²⁶, Stefano Mottola²⁵, Giampiero Naletto³⁰, Nilda Oklay⁸, Maurizio Pajola¹⁴, Marco Pertile³¹, Frank Preusker²⁵, Lola Sabau³², Frank Scholten²⁵, Colin Snodgrass⁸, Nicolas Thomas³³, Cecilia Tubiana⁸, Jean-Baptiste Vincent⁸, Klaus-Peter Wenzel⁵, Mirco Zaccariotto³¹, Martin Pätzold³⁴

Affiliations

¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. sierks@mps.mpg.de.
² Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy.
³ Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, UMR 7326, CNRS & Aix Marseille Université, 13388 Marseille Cedex 13, France.
⁴ Centro de Astrobiologia, CSIC-INTA,28850 Madrid, Spain. International Space Science Institute, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
⁵ Scientific Support Office, European Space Research and Technology Centre/ESA, 2201 AZ Noordwijk ZH, Netherlands.
⁶ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden. PAS Space Research Center, 00716 Warszawa, Poland.
⁷ Institut für Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany. Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Planetenforschung, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
⁸ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
⁹ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
¹⁰ Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
¹¹ Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, UMR 7326, 13388 Marseille, France.
¹² LESIA-Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Paris Diderot, 92195 Meudon, France.
¹³ LATMOS, CNRS/UVSQ/IPSL, 78280 Guyancourt, France.
¹⁴ Centro di Ateneo di Studi ed Attività Spaziali "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
¹⁵ Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
¹⁶ INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy.
¹⁷ CNR-IFN UOS Padova LUXOR, 35131 Padova, Italy.
¹⁸ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden.
¹⁹ University of Trento, 38100 Trento, Italy.
²⁰ INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, 34014 Trieste, Italy.
²¹ Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.
²² Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC), c/ Glorieta de la AstronomÌa s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain.
²³ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Planetenforschung, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
²⁴ Graduate Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, Chung-Li 32054, Taiwan. Space Science Institute, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, China.
²⁵ Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Planetenforschung, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
²⁶ Operations Department, European Space Astronomy Centre/ESA, 28691 Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid, Spain.
²⁷ Solar System Exploration Research, Virtual Institute, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.
²⁸ Centro di Ateneo di Studi ed Attività Spaziali "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy. Dipartimento di Geoscienze, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
²⁹ Institut für Datentechnik und Kommunikationsnetze der TU Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
³⁰ Centro di Ateneo di Studi ed Attività Spaziali "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy. CNR-IFN UOS Padova LUXOR, 35131 Padova, Italy. Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
³¹ Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy. Centro di Ateneo di Studi ed Attività Spaziali "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
³² Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial, 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.
³³ Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. Center for Space and Habitability, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
³⁴ Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung, Abteilung Planetenforschung, Universität zu Köln, 50931 Köln, Germany.

PMID: 25613897
DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa1044

Cometary science. On the nucleus structure and activity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Holger Sierks et al. Science. 2015.

. 2015 Jan 23;347(6220):aaa1044.

doi: 10.1126/science.aaa1044.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. sierks@mps.mpg.de.
² Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy.
³ Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, UMR 7326, CNRS & Aix Marseille Université, 13388 Marseille Cedex 13, France.
⁴ Centro de Astrobiologia, CSIC-INTA,28850 Madrid, Spain. International Space Science Institute, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
⁵ Scientific Support Office, European Space Research and Technology Centre/ESA, 2201 AZ Noordwijk ZH, Netherlands.
⁶ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden. PAS Space Research Center, 00716 Warszawa, Poland.
⁷ Institut für Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany. Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Planetenforschung, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
⁸ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
⁹ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
¹⁰ Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
¹¹ Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, UMR 7326, 13388 Marseille, France.
¹² LESIA-Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Paris Diderot, 92195 Meudon, France.
¹³ LATMOS, CNRS/UVSQ/IPSL, 78280 Guyancourt, France.
¹⁴ Centro di Ateneo di Studi ed Attività Spaziali "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
¹⁵ Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
¹⁶ INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy.
¹⁷ CNR-IFN UOS Padova LUXOR, 35131 Padova, Italy.
¹⁸ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden.
¹⁹ University of Trento, 38100 Trento, Italy.
²⁰ INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, 34014 Trieste, Italy.
²¹ Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.
²² Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC), c/ Glorieta de la AstronomÌa s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain.
²³ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Planetenforschung, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
²⁴ Graduate Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, Chung-Li 32054, Taiwan. Space Science Institute, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, China.
²⁵ Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institut für Planetenforschung, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
²⁶ Operations Department, European Space Astronomy Centre/ESA, 28691 Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid, Spain.
²⁷ Solar System Exploration Research, Virtual Institute, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.
²⁸ Centro di Ateneo di Studi ed Attività Spaziali "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy. Dipartimento di Geoscienze, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
²⁹ Institut für Datentechnik und Kommunikationsnetze der TU Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
³⁰ Centro di Ateneo di Studi ed Attività Spaziali "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy. CNR-IFN UOS Padova LUXOR, 35131 Padova, Italy. Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
³¹ Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy. Centro di Ateneo di Studi ed Attività Spaziali "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
³² Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial, 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.
³³ Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. Center for Space and Habitability, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
³⁴ Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung, Abteilung Planetenforschung, Universität zu Köln, 50931 Köln, Germany.

PMID: 25613897
DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa1044

Abstract

Images from the OSIRIS scientific imaging system onboard Rosetta show that the nucleus of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko consists of two lobes connected by a short neck. The nucleus has a bulk density less than half that of water. Activity at a distance from the Sun of >3 astronomical units is predominantly from the neck, where jets have been seen consistently. The nucleus rotates about the principal axis of momentum. The surface morphology suggests that the removal of larger volumes of material, possibly via explosive release of subsurface pressure or via creation of overhangs by sublimation, may be a major mass loss process. The shape raises the question of whether the two lobes represent a contact binary formed 4.5 billion years ago, or a single body where a gap has evolved via mass loss.

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Cometary science. On the nucleus structure and activity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Affiliations

Cometary science. On the nucleus structure and activity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

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LinkOut - more resources

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Miscellaneous