Category Archives: astronomy

astronomy, comet, rosetta, rosetta spacecraft

Rosetta Reveals Tip of the Comet 67P Knowledge Iceberg

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Mapping Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko sports jagged cliffs and prominent boulders on its surface. This image was taken by OSIRIS on 5 September 2014 from a distance of 62 kilometers (about 38 miles) from the comet. The left part of the image shows a side view of the comet’s ‘body’, while the right is the back of its ‘head’. One pixel corresponds to 1.1 meters. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

If you’ve ever wondered about the surface of a comet — and why not? — wonder no more. The Rosetta mission has figuratively ripped the fuzzy veil away from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Comet 67P for short) mapped its surface, and done preliminary analysis of what that surface is like. That’s just for starters!

It turns out this particular comet (and probably most comets) has a planetary scientist’s wonderland of features. To get you started exploring the comet, check out this amazing image of the comet released over the weekend by the Rosetta mission’s OSIRIS team. OSIRIS is an imaging instrument sensitive to optical as well as infrared light (essentially heat radiation).

When I first looked at this image a couple of hour or so ago, it reminded me of the top of a craggy mountain peak. However, this is no rocky mountain. It’s a chunk of ice the size of a big city, following an orbit that takes it from just outside the orbit of Jupiter (at its most distant) to outside Earth’s orbit over the course of 6.5 years. (Earth orbits at 1 A.U. from the Sun (150,000 million kilometers or 93 million miles.  The comet gets as close as 1.24 A.U. (185,940,000 kilometers or 115 million miles from the Sun).

(This is to reassure anyone who was worried that the comet will somehow intersect Earth’s orbit. It won’t. During perihelion passage (closest approach to the Sun) the comet and Earth will be 3.3 A.U. (490,000,000 million kilometers or 304 million miles). That occurs in August, 2015.)

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astronomy, Curiosity, Mars, mars exploration rovers, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Science Laboratory

Humanity’s Fascination with Mars

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The Red Planet Beckons

This 360-degree panorama from NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity shows the rocky terrain surrounding it as of its 55th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Oct. 1, 2012). The base of Mount Sharp can be seen at upper left. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

I’ve written a lot about Mars in recent years, and so have lots of other people, so I’m going to muse about a new book by one of those folks, and then talk of my own history of writing and teaching about the Red Planet.

Without a doubt, the planet remains one of the  most fascinating places (for me) in the solar system. Perhaps that is why I’m drawn to projects like Uwingu’s “Beam Me to Mars” messaging fundraiser for science education and research. As of this week, nearly two dozen companies and organizations have participated as supporters in this unique project, and many individuals have signed up to send a message to Mars on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of in situ Mars exploration — November 28, 2014. I’ve posted a message of hope and inspiration simply because I have grown up thinking about our neighbor planet since I was a child. If Mars intrigues you as much as it does me, or the idea of actually GOING to Mars catches your attention, check out the project. For a few dollars you can send a message to Mars AND help fund important science and education projects.

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