The morphological diversity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

2015/01/22 by Nicolas Thomas, Holger Sierks, H. Sierks +103 · 8 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astronomical and nuclear sciences #Planetary Science and Exploration

paper · doi:10.1126/science.aaa0440

Abstract

Images of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko acquired by the OSIRIS (Optical, Spectroscopic and Infrared Remote Imaging System) imaging system onboard the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft at scales of better than 0.8 meter per pixel show a wide variety of different structures and textures. The data show the importance of airfall, surface dust transport, mass wasting, and insolation weathering for cometary surface evolution, and they offer some support for subsurface fluidization models and mass loss through the ejection of large chunks of material.

Cited by

• The landing(s) of Philae and inferences about comet surface mechanical properties
• Planetary Geoarchaeology of Comets: Site Formation Processes on 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
• Recent Chemo-morphological Coma Evolution of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
• Interaction of the solar wind with comets: a Rosetta perspective. [europepmc]
• The Rosetta mission orbiter science overview: the comet phase. [europepmc]
• Cometary Comae-Surface Links: The Physics of Gas and Dust from the Surface to a Spacecraft. [europepmc]
• Small All-Range Lidar for Asteroid and Comet Core Missions. [europepmc]
• Cometary Dust. [europepmc]

Related

• Comet nuclei composition and evolution
• Layerings in the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
• Imaging the Dust Trail and Neckline of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
• Recent Chemo-morphological Coma Evolution of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
• Planetary Geoarchaeology of Comets: Site Formation Processes on 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko