Two independent and primitive envelopes of the bilobate nucleus of comet 67P

Matteo Massironi^{1

2}, Emanuele Simioni³, Francesco Marzari⁴, Gabriele Cremonese⁵, Lorenza Giacomini¹, Maurizio Pajola², Laurent Jorda⁶, Giampiero Naletto^{2

3

7}, Stephen Lowry⁸, Mohamed Ramy El-Maarry⁹, Frank Preusker¹⁰, Frank Scholten¹⁰, Holger Sierks¹¹, Cesare Barbieri⁴, Philippe Lamy⁶, Rafael Rodrigo^{12

13}, Detlef Koschny¹⁴, Hans Rickman^{15

16}, Horst Uwe Keller¹⁷, Michael F A'Hearn^{18

19}, Jessica Agarwal¹¹, Anne-Thérèse Auger⁶, M Antonella Barucci²⁰, Jean-Loup Bertaux²¹, Ivano Bertini², Sebastien Besse¹⁴, Dennis Bodewits¹⁸, Claire Capanna⁶, Vania Da Deppo³, Björn Davidsson¹⁵, Stefano Debei²², Mariolino De Cecco²³, Francesca Ferri², Sonia Fornasier²⁰, Marco Fulle²⁴, Robert Gaskell²⁵, Olivier Groussin⁶, Pedro J Gutiérrez²⁶, Carsten Güttler¹¹, Stubbe F Hviid^{10

11}, Wing-Huen Ip²⁷, Jörg Knollenberg¹⁰, Gabor Kovacs¹¹, Rainer Kramm¹¹, Ekkehard Kührt¹⁰, Michael Küppers²⁸, Fiorangela La Forgia⁴, Luisa M Lara²⁶, Monica Lazzarin⁴, Zhong-Yi Lin²⁷, Josè J Lopez Moreno²⁶, Sara Magrin⁴, Harald Michalik²⁹, Stefano Mottola¹⁰, Nilda Oklay¹¹, Antoine Pommerol⁹, Nicolas Thomas⁹, Cecilia Tubiana¹¹, Jean-Baptiste Vincent¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Dipartimento di Geoscienze, University of Padova, via G. Gradenigo 6, 35131 Padova, Italy.
² Centro di Ateneo di Studi ed Attività Spaziali "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova, via Venezia 15, 35131 Padova, Italy.
³ CNR-IFN UOS Padova LUXOR, via Trasea 7, 35131 Padova, Italy.
⁴ University of Padova, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vicolo dell'Osservatorio 3, 35122 Padova, Italy.
⁵ INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell'Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy.
⁶ Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LAM (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille), UMR 7326, 38 rue Frédéric Joliot-Curie, 13388 Marseille, France.
⁷ Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, via Gradenigo 6/B, 35131 Padova, Italy.
⁸ The University of Kent, School of Physical Sciences, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ, UK.
⁹ Physikalisches Institut der Universität Bern, Sidlerstraße 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
¹⁰ Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Institut für Planetenforschung, Rutherfordstraße 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
¹¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
¹² Centro de Astrobiologia, CSIC-INTA, 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.
¹³ International Space Science Institute, Hallerstraße 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
¹⁴ Scientific Support Office, European Space Research and Technology Centre/ESA, Keplerlaan 1, Postbus 299, 2201 AZ Noordwijk ZH, The Netherlands.
¹⁵ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden.
¹⁶ PAS Space Research Center, Bartycka 18A, 00716 Warszawa, Poland.
¹⁷ Institut für Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik (IGEP), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 3, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
¹⁸ University of Maryland, Department of Astronomy, College Park, Maryland 20742-2421, USA.
¹⁹ Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen and Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
²⁰ LESIA-Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Universite Paris Diderot, 5 place J. Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France.
²¹ LATMOS, CNRS/UVSQ/IPSL, 11 boulevard d'Alembert, 78280 Guyancourt, France.
²² Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, via Venezia 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
²³ University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38100 Trento, Italy.
²⁴ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico, Via Tiepolo 11, 34014 Trieste, Italy.
²⁵ Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona 85719, USA.
²⁶ Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC), Glorieta de la Astronomìa s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain.
²⁷ National Central University, Graduate Institute of Astronomy, 300 Chung-Da Road, Chung-Li 32054 Taiwan.
²⁸ Operations Department, European Space Astronomy Centre/ESA, PO Box 78, 28691 Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid, Spain.
²⁹ Institut für Datentechnik und Kommunikationsnetze der TU Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer Straße 66, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.

PMID: 26416730
DOI: 10.1038/nature15511

Two independent and primitive envelopes of the bilobate nucleus of comet 67P

Matteo Massironi et al. Nature. 2015.

. 2015 Oct 15;526(7573):402-5.

doi: 10.1038/nature15511. Epub 2015 Sep 28.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Dipartimento di Geoscienze, University of Padova, via G. Gradenigo 6, 35131 Padova, Italy.
² Centro di Ateneo di Studi ed Attività Spaziali "Giuseppe Colombo" (CISAS), University of Padova, via Venezia 15, 35131 Padova, Italy.
³ CNR-IFN UOS Padova LUXOR, via Trasea 7, 35131 Padova, Italy.
⁴ University of Padova, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vicolo dell'Osservatorio 3, 35122 Padova, Italy.
⁵ INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell'Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy.
⁶ Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LAM (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille), UMR 7326, 38 rue Frédéric Joliot-Curie, 13388 Marseille, France.
⁷ Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, via Gradenigo 6/B, 35131 Padova, Italy.
⁸ The University of Kent, School of Physical Sciences, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ, UK.
⁹ Physikalisches Institut der Universität Bern, Sidlerstraße 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
¹⁰ Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Institut für Planetenforschung, Rutherfordstraße 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
¹¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
¹² Centro de Astrobiologia, CSIC-INTA, 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.
¹³ International Space Science Institute, Hallerstraße 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
¹⁴ Scientific Support Office, European Space Research and Technology Centre/ESA, Keplerlaan 1, Postbus 299, 2201 AZ Noordwijk ZH, The Netherlands.
¹⁵ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden.
¹⁶ PAS Space Research Center, Bartycka 18A, 00716 Warszawa, Poland.
¹⁷ Institut für Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik (IGEP), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 3, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
¹⁸ University of Maryland, Department of Astronomy, College Park, Maryland 20742-2421, USA.
¹⁹ Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen and Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
²⁰ LESIA-Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Universite Paris Diderot, 5 place J. Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France.
²¹ LATMOS, CNRS/UVSQ/IPSL, 11 boulevard d'Alembert, 78280 Guyancourt, France.
²² Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, via Venezia 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
²³ University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38100 Trento, Italy.
²⁴ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico, Via Tiepolo 11, 34014 Trieste, Italy.
²⁵ Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona 85719, USA.
²⁶ Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC), Glorieta de la Astronomìa s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain.
²⁷ National Central University, Graduate Institute of Astronomy, 300 Chung-Da Road, Chung-Li 32054 Taiwan.
²⁸ Operations Department, European Space Astronomy Centre/ESA, PO Box 78, 28691 Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid, Spain.
²⁹ Institut für Datentechnik und Kommunikationsnetze der TU Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer Straße 66, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.

PMID: 26416730
DOI: 10.1038/nature15511

Abstract

The factors shaping cometary nuclei are still largely unknown, but could be the result of concurrent effects of evolutionary and primordial processes. The peculiar bilobed shape of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko may be the result of the fusion of two objects that were once separate or the result of a localized excavation by outgassing at the interface between the two lobes. Here we report that the comet's major lobe is enveloped by a nearly continuous set of strata, up to 650 metres thick, which are independent of an analogous stratified envelope on the minor lobe. Gravity vectors computed for the two lobes separately are closer to perpendicular to the strata than those calculated for the entire nucleus and adjacent to the neck separating the two lobes. Therefore comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is an accreted body of two distinct objects with 'onion-like' stratification, which formed before they merged. We conclude that gentle, low-velocity collisions occurred between two fully formed kilometre-sized cometesimals in the early stages of the Solar System. The notable structural similarities between the two lobes of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko indicate that the early-forming cometesimals experienced similar primordial stratified accretion, even though they formed independently.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

Actions

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
- Nature Publishing Group
- Ovid Technologies, Inc.

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Two independent and primitive envelopes of the bilobate nucleus of comet 67P

Affiliations

Two independent and primitive envelopes of the bilobate nucleus of comet 67P

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources