Although the Philae probe has been asleep almost since it landed on the comet in November (but is expected to reactivate between May and June of this year), the Rosetta mission follows the comet and thus unraveling its mysteries. Now, thanks to its records, the European Space Agency (ESA) has published in the journal Science a total of seven articles in great detail of this primitive and distant object that it will continue to pursue until the end of this year or even more.
Rosetta, which will be the first human spacecraft to witness the comet’s rise in activity as its temperature increases, has discovered that the solid nucleus of the comet is more porous and spongy than previously thought . According to experts, it is made up of dust, rock and frozen gas.
The movement of water, monoxide, and carbon dioxide through the comet’s coma or diffuse hair has also been documented, revealing complex relationships with the comet’s nucleus. “We see peaks in the water readings, and a few hours later, other peaks in those of carbon dioxide and this variation could be an effect of temperature or something seasonal, although it could also point to the possibility of migrations of the comet in the system. primitive solar ”, explains Myrtha Hässig, co-author of the study.
Rosetta instruments have recorded a multitude of other data on this object such as the presence of organic compounds on its surface , opaque, but with very little frozen water, which indicates that this area is usually illuminated by the Sun, hence its dehydration or the fact that 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko is much darker than objects like the Moon.
The existence of a magnetosphere is the third of the factors to be highlighted in this macro study on the comet. Using data from the Rosetta Orbiter’s Microwave Instrument (MIRO), they have identified daily and seasonal temperature patterns below its surface. The results reveal the existence of heat fluxes and sublimation of the ice, so that most of the ice water is gradually lost.
All these data represent the best portrait of a comet so far. But the mission does not end here. Scientists are excited to learn new data on its structure and composition as Rosetta accompanies the comet on its journey to the Sun. Will the Philae probe also provide us with new data?
