Cometary science. Time variability and heterogeneity in the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

M Hässig; K Altwegg; H Balsiger; A Bar-Nun; J J Berthelier; A Bieler; P Bochsler; C Briois; U Calmonte; M Combi; J De Keyser; P Eberhardt; B Fiethe; S A Fuselier; M Galand; S Gasc; T I Gombosi; K C Hansen; A Jäckel; H U Keller; E Kopp; A Korth; E Kührt; L Le Roy; U Mall; B Marty; O Mousis; E Neefs; T Owen; H Rème; M Rubin; T Sémon; C Tornow; C-Y Tzou; J H Waite; P Wurz

doi:10.1126/science.aaa0276

Cometary science. Time variability and heterogeneity in the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Science. 2015 Jan 23;347(6220):aaa0276. doi: 10.1126/science.aaa0276. Epub 2015 Jan 22.

Authors

M Hässig¹, K Altwegg², H Balsiger³, A Bar-Nun⁴, J J Berthelier⁵, A Bieler⁶, P Bochsler³, C Briois⁷, U Calmonte³, M Combi⁸, J De Keyser⁹, P Eberhardt³, B Fiethe¹⁰, S A Fuselier¹¹, M Galand¹², S Gasc³, T I Gombosi⁸, K C Hansen⁸, A Jäckel³, H U Keller¹³, E Kopp³, A Korth¹⁴, E Kührt¹⁵, L Le Roy¹⁶, U Mall¹⁴, B Marty¹⁷, O Mousis¹⁸, E Neefs¹⁹, T Owen²⁰, H Rème²¹, M Rubin³, T Sémon³, C Tornow¹⁵, C-Y Tzou³, J H Waite¹¹, P Wurz³

Affiliations

¹ Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland. Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA. myrtha.haessig@swri.org.
² Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland. Center for Space and Habitability (CSH), University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
³ Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
⁴ Department of Geosciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
⁵ Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Institute Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), Centre national de recherche scientifique (CNRS), Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), BP 102, UPMC, 4 Place Jussieu, F-75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.
⁶ Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland. Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
⁷ Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace (LPC2E), UMR 7328 CNRS - Université d'Orléans, France.
⁸ Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
⁹ Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Ringlaan 3, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium. Center for Plasma Astrophysics, KULeuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
¹⁰ Institute of Computer and Network Engineering (IDA), TU Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Straße 66, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
¹¹ Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA.
¹² Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
¹³ Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, Technische Universität (TU) Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany. German Aerospace Center, Institute of Planetary Research, Asteroids and Comets, Rutherfordstraße 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
¹⁴ Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
¹⁵ German Aerospace Center, Institute of Planetary Research, Asteroids and Comets, Rutherfordstraße 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
¹⁶ Center for Space and Habitability (CSH), University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
¹⁷ Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques (CRPG), 15 Rue Notre Dame des Pauvres, BP 20, 54501 Vandoeuvre lès Nancy, France.
¹⁸ Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LAM (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille), UMR 7326, 13388, Marseille, France.
¹⁹ Engineering Division, BIRA-IASB, Ringlaan 3, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium.
²⁰ Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
²¹ Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabathier (UPS), Observatoire de Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP), Toulouse, France. CNRS, IRAP, 9 Avenue du Colonel Roche, BP 44346, F-31028 Toulouse Cedex 4, France.

PMID: 25613892
DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa0276

Abstract

Comets contain the best-preserved material from the beginning of our planetary system. Their nuclei and comae composition reveal clues about physical and chemical conditions during the early solar system when comets formed. ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis) onboard the Rosetta spacecraft has measured the coma composition of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with well-sampled time resolution per rotation. Measurements were made over many comet rotation periods and a wide range of latitudes. These measurements show large fluctuations in composition in a heterogeneous coma that has diurnal and possibly seasonal variations in the major outgassing species: water, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. These results indicate a complex coma-nucleus relationship where seasonal variations may be driven by temperature differences just below the comet surface.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.