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Article Dans Une Revue Science Année : 2016

Rosetta’s comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko sheds its dusty mantle to reveal its icy nature

Jean-Loup Bertaux
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L. Jorda
I. Toth
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Résumé

The Rosetta spacecraft has investigated comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from largeheliocentric distances to its perihelion passage and beyond. We trace the seasonal and diurnalevolution of the colors of the 67P nucleus,finding changes driven by sublimation andrecondensation of water ice. The whole nucleus became relatively bluer near perihelion, asincreasing activity removed the surface dust, implying that water ice is widespreadunderneath the surface. We identified large (1500 square meters) ice-rich patches appearingand then vanishing in about 10 days, indicating small-scale heterogeneities on the nucleus.Thin frosts sublimating in a few minutes are observed close to receding shadows, and rapidvariations in color are seen on extended areas close to the terminator. These cyclic processesare widespread and lead to continuously, slightly varying surface properties.

Dates et versions

hal-02458238 , version 1 (28-01-2020)

Identifiants

Citer

Sonia Fornasier, S. Mottola, H. Keller, M. Barucci, B. Davidsson, et al.. Rosetta’s comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko sheds its dusty mantle to reveal its icy nature. Science, 2016, 354 (6319), pp.1566-1570. ⟨10.1126/science.aag2671⟩. ⟨hal-02458238⟩
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