| 1. |
- Jones, Geraint H., et al.
(författare)
-
The Comet Interceptor Mission
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Space Science Reviews. - : Springer Nature. - 0038-6308 .- 1572-9672. ; 220:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Here we describe the novel, multi-point Comet Interceptor mission. It is dedicated to the exploration of a little-processed long-period comet, possibly entering the inner Solar System for the first time, or to encounter an interstellar object originating at another star. The objectives of the mission are to address the following questions: What are the surface composition, shape, morphology, and structure of the target object? What is the composition of the gas and dust in the coma, its connection to the nucleus, and the nature of its interaction with the solar wind? The mission was proposed to the European Space Agency in 2018, and formally adopted by the agency in June 2022, for launch in 2029 together with the Ariel mission. Comet Interceptor will take advantage of the opportunity presented by ESA’s F-Class call for fast, flexible, low-cost missions to which it was proposed. The call required a launch to a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. The mission can take advantage of this placement to wait for the discovery of a suitable comet reachable with its minimum Δ V capability of 600 ms − 1 . Comet Interceptor will be unique in encountering and studying, at a nominal closest approach distance of 1000 km, a comet that represents a near-pristine sample of material from the formation of the Solar System. It will also add a capability that no previous cometary mission has had, which is to deploy two sub-probes – B1, provided by the Japanese space agency, JAXA, and B2 – that will follow different trajectories through the coma. While the main probe passes at a nominal 1000 km distance, probes B1 and B2 will follow different chords through the coma at distances of 850 km and 400 km, respectively. The result will be unique, simultaneous, spatially resolved information of the 3-dimensional properties of the target comet and its interaction with the space environment. We present the mission’s science background leading to these objectives, as well as an overview of the scientific instruments, mission design, and schedule.
|
|
| 2. |
- Bagnulo, Stefano, et al.
(författare)
-
Optical Spectropolarimetry of Binary Asteroid Didymos-Dimorphos before and after the DART Impact
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 945:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have monitored the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid in spectropolarimetric mode in the optical range before and after the DART impact. The ultimate goal was to obtain constraints on the characteristics of the ejected dust for modeling purposes. Before impact, Didymos exhibited a linear polarization rapidly increasing with phase angle, reaching a level of ∼5% in the blue and ∼4.5% in the red. The shape of the polarization spectrum was anticorrelated with that of its reflectance spectrum, which appeared typical of an S-class asteroid. After impact, the level of polarization dropped by about 1 percentage point (pp) in the blue band and about 0.5 pp in the red band, then continued to linearly increase with phase angle, with a slope similar to that measured prior to impact. The polarization spectra, once normalized by their values at an arbitrary wavelength, show very little or no change over the course of all observations before and after impact. The lack of any remarkable change in the shape of the polarization spectrum after impact suggests that the way in which polarization varies with wavelength depends on the composition of the scattering material, rather than on its structure, be this a surface or a debris cloud.
|
|
| 3. |
- Bertini, Ivano, et al.
(författare)
-
Search for satellites near (21) Lutetia using OSIRIS/Rosetta images
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 66:1, s. 64-70
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- On 2010 July 10 the ESA Rosetta mission flew by the large asteroid (21) Lutetia. One of the scientific goals of the onboard OSIRIS instrument was the search for satellites of the asteroid, with more than 20 images specifically dedicated to this topic. An observational campaign was devised with a selection of filters and exposure times tailored to maximize the possibility of detecting small companions and determining their bound orbits. Data were analyzed with suitable methods to remove cosmic ray hits and known background objects, in order to search for persistent detections of potential interesting flux sources. We found no unambiguous detections of a satellite larger than similar to 160 m inside the entire sphere of gravitational influence. Our search confirmed the absence of bound companions larger than similar to 30 m inside 20 primary radii. These limits are a factor of similar to 30 smaller than the values reported so far from large ground-based telescopes using adaptive optics and from the Hubble Space Telescope.
|
|
| 4. |
- Blum, Jurgen, et al.
(författare)
-
Evidence for the formation of comet 67p/churyumov-gerasimenko through gravitational collapse of a bound clump of pebbles
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 469, s. 755-773
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The processes that led to the formation of the planetary bodies in the Solar system are still not fully understood. Using the results obtained with the comprehensive suite of instruments onboard the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission, we present evidence that comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko likely formed through the gentle gravitational collapse of a bound clump of mm-sized dust aggregates ('pebbles'), intermixed with microscopic ice particles. This formation scenario leads to a cometary make-up that is simultaneously compatible with the global porosity, homogeneity, tensile strength, thermal inertia, vertical temperature profiles, sizes and porosities of emitted dust and the steep increase in water-vapour production rate with decreasing heliocentric distance, measured by the instruments onboard the Rosetta spacecraft and the Philae lander. Our findings suggest that the pebbles observed to be abundant in protoplanetary discs around young stars provide the building material for comets and other minor bodies.
|
|
| 5. |
- Gray, Zuri, et al.
(författare)
-
Polarimetry of Didymos–Dimorphos: Unexpected Long-term Effects of the DART Impact
- 2024
-
Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 2632-3338. ; 5:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have monitored the Didymos–Dimorphos binary system in imaging polarimetric mode before and after the impact from the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission. A previous spectropolarimetric study showed that the impact caused a dramatic drop in polarization. Our longer-term monitoring shows that the polarization of the post-impact system remains lower than the pre-impact system even months after the impact, suggesting that some fresh ejecta material remains in the system at the time of our observations, either in orbit or settled on the surface. The slope of the post-impact polarimetric curve is shallower than that of the pre-impact system, implying an increase in albedo of the system. This suggests that the ejected material is composed of smaller and possibly brighter particles than those present on the pre-impact surface of the asteroid. Our polarimetric maps show that the dust cloud ejected immediately after the impact polarizes light in a spatially uniform manner (and at a lower level than pre-impact). Later maps exhibit a gradient in polarization between the photocentre (which probes the asteroid surface) and the surrounding cloud and tail. The polarization occasionally shows some small-scale variations, the source of which is not yet clear. The polarimetric phase curve of Didymos–Dimorphos resembles that of the S-type asteroid class.
|
|
| 6. |
- Li, Jian-Yang, et al.
(författare)
-
Ejecta from the DART-produced active asteroid Dimorphos
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 616, s. 452-456
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Some active asteroids have been proposed to be formed as a result of impact events1. Because active asteroids are generally discovered by chance only after their tails have fully formed, the process of how impact ejecta evolve into a tail has, to our knowledge, not been directly observed. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission of NASA2, in addition to having successfully changed the orbital period of Dimorphos3, demonstrated the activation process of an asteroid resulting from an impact under precisely known conditions. Here we report the observations of the DART impact ejecta with the Hubble Space Telescope from impact time T + 15 min to T + 18.5 days at spatial resolutions of around 2.1 km per pixel. Our observations reveal the complex evolution of the ejecta, which are first dominated by the gravitational interaction between the Didymos binary system and the ejected dust and subsequently by solar radiation pressure. The lowest-speed ejecta dispersed through a sustained tail that had a consistent morphology with previously observed asteroid tails thought to be produced by an impact4,5. The evolution of the ejecta after the controlled impact experiment of DART thus provides a framework for understanding the fundamental mechanisms that act on asteroids disrupted by a natural impact1,6.
|
|
| 7. |
- Massironi, Matteo, et al.
(författare)
-
Geological map and stratigraphy of asteroid 21 Lutetia
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 66:1, s. 125-136
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The OSIRIS (Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System) images acquired during the recent Rosetta fly-by of Lutetia (10th of July 2010), enabled us to unravel the long geological history of the asteroid. This is recorded on its highly varied surface which displays geological units of disparate ages. In particular, using images of the closest approach, five main regions (in turn subdivided into minor units) have been discriminated on the basis of crater density, overlapping and cross-cutting relationships, and presence of linear features (i.e., fractures, faults, grooves, troughs). Other regions, with still unclear stratigraphic position, were also recognized on images of lower resolution on the bases of geomorphological properties such as crater density, relationship with scarp and ridges, and sharp morphological boundaries. In this work the geological evolution of Lutetia surface is reconstructed through the description of its main units and related contacts. The oldest regions imaged during the closest approach (Achaia and Noricum) are pervasively affected by fractures and grooves and display surfaces so heavily cratered to be dated back to a period not far from the Late Heavy Bombardment (yielding Achaia a crater retention age of 3.6-3.7 Ga). A crater of 55 km diameter, named Massilia and corresponding to the Narbonensis region, cuts both Achaia and Noricum regions and probably represents the most prominent event of the Lutetia history. The considerable crater density on its floor and walls, the absence of discernable deposits related to the impact event, and the intense deformation of it floor - all attest to its relatively great age. The North Polar Cluster (Baetica region) is associated with smooth ejecta broadly mantling the surrounding units and displays few craters and no linear features, demonstrating its relatively young age (estimated at less than 300 Ma). The North Polar Crater Cluster is the product of superimposed impacts: the last one of 24 km of diameter excavated the pre-existing ejecta up to the bedrock which locally outcrops at the crater rim. The ejecta of this last impact were involved in several gravitational phenomena testified by the great variety of deposits made up of mega-boulders diamictons, fine materials, gravitational taluses and debris, and landslide accumulations. A part from the big cratering events generating Massilia and the North Polar Crater Cluster, the Lutetia geological history is also punctuated by minor events still recorded by its stratigraphic record well imaged by the closest approach data.
|
|
| 8. |
- Rotundi, Alessandra, et al.
(författare)
-
Dust measurements in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko inbound to the Sun
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 347:6220
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Critical measurements for understanding accretion and the dust/gas ratio in the solar nebula, where planets were forming 4.5 billion years ago, are being obtained by the GIADA (Grain Impact Analyser and Dust Accumulator) experiment on the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft orbiting comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Between 3.6 and 3.4 astronomical units inbound, GIADA and OSIRIS (Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System) detected 35 outflowing grains of mass 10(-10) to 10(-7) kilograms, and 48 grains of mass 10(-5) to 10(-2) kilograms, respectively. Combined with gas data from the MIRO (Microwave Instrument for the Rosetta Orbiter) and ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis) instruments, we find a dust/gas mass ratio of 4 +/- 2 averaged over the sunlit nucleus surface. A cloud of larger grains also encircles the nucleus in bound orbits from the previous perihelion. The largest orbiting clumps are meter-sized, confirming the dust/gas ratio of 3 inferred at perihelion from models of dust comae and trails.
|
|
| 9. |
- Schwamb, Megan E., et al.
(författare)
-
Tuning the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Observing Strategy for Solar System Science
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : Iop Publishing Ltd. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 266:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to start the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) in early to mid-2025. This multiband wide-field synoptic survey will transform our view of the solar system, with the discovery and monitoring of over five million small bodies. The final survey strategy chosen for LSST has direct implications on the discoverability and characterization of solar system minor planets and passing interstellar objects. Creating an inventory of the solar system is one of the four main LSST science drivers. The LSST observing cadence is a complex optimization problem that must balance the priorities and needs of all the key LSST science areas. To design the best LSST survey strategy, a series of operation simulations using the Rubin Observatory scheduler have been generated to explore the various options for tuning observing parameters and prioritizations. We explore the impact of the various simulated LSST observing strategies on studying the solar system's small body reservoirs. We examine what are the best observing scenarios and review what are the important considerations for maximizing LSST solar system science. In general, most of the LSST cadence simulations produce +/- 5% or less variations in our chosen key metrics, but a subset of the simulations significantly hinder science returns with much larger losses in the discovery and light-curve metrics.
|
|
| 10. |
- Shvartzvald, Yossi, et al.
(författare)
-
Spitzer Microlensing Parallax for OGLE-2017-BLG-0896 Reveals a Counter-rotating Low-mass Brown Dwarf
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Astronomical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-6256 .- 1538-3881. ; 157:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The kinematics of isolated brown dwarfs in the Galaxy, beyond the solar neighborhood, is virtually unknown. Microlensing has the potential to probe this hidden population, as it can measure both the mass and five of the six phase-space coordinates (all except the radial velocity) even of a dark isolated lens. However, the measurements of both the microlens-parallax and finite-source effects are needed in order to recover the full information. Here, we combine the Spitzer satellite parallax measurement with the ground-based light curve, which exhibits strong finite-source effects, of event OGLE-2017-BLG-0896. We find two degenerate solutions for the lens (due to the known satellite-parallax degeneracy), which are consistent with each other except for their proper motion. The lens is an isolated brown dwarf with a mass of either 18 +/- 1 M-J or 20 +/- 1 M-J. This is the lowest isolated-object mass measurement to date, only similar to 45% more massive than the theoretical deuterium-fusion boundary at solar metallicity, which is the common definition of a free-floating planet. The brown dwarf is located at either 3.9 +/- 0.1 kpc or 4.1 +/- 0.1 kpc toward the Galactic bulge, but with proper motion in the opposite direction of disk stars, with one solution suggesting it is moving within the Galactic plane. While it is possibly a halo brown dwarf, it might also represent a different, unknown population.
|
|
| 11. |
- Sierks, Holger, et al.
(författare)
-
On the nucleus structure and activity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 347:6220
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Images from the OSIRIS scientific imaging system onboard Rosetta show that the nucleus of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko consists of two lobes connected by a short neck. The nucleus has a bulk density less than half that of water. Activity at a distance from the Sun of >3 astronomical units is predominantly from the neck, where jets have been seen consistently. The nucleus rotates about the principal axis of momentum. The surface morphology suggests that the removal of larger volumes of material, possibly via explosive release of subsurface pressure or via creation of overhangs by sublimation, may be a major mass loss process. The shape raises the question of whether the two lobes represent a contact binary formed 4.5 billion years ago, or a single body where a gap has evolved via mass loss.
|
|
| 12. |
- Snodgrass, Colin, et al.
(författare)
-
A collision in 2009 as the origin of the debris trail of asteroid P/2010 A2
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 467:7317, s. 814-816
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The peculiar object P/2010 A2 was discovered(1) in January 2010 and given a cometary designation because of the presence of a trail of material, although there was no central condensation or coma. The appearance of this object, in an asteroidal orbit (small eccentricity and inclination) in the inner main asteroid belt attracted attention as a potential new member of the recently recognized(2) class of main-belt comets. If confirmed, this new object would expand the range in heliocentric distance over which main-belt comets are found. Here we report observations of P/2010 A2 by the Rosetta spacecraft. We conclude that the trail arose from a single event, rather than a period of cometary activity, in agreement with independent results(3). The trail is made up of relatively large particles of millimetre to centimetre size that remain close to the parent asteroid. The shape of the trail can be explained by an initial impact ejecting large clumps of debris that disintegrated and dispersed almost immediately. We determine that this was an asteroid collision that occurred around 10 February 2009.
|
|
| 13. |
- Thomas, Nicolas, et al.
(författare)
-
The morphological diversity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 347:6220
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)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.
|
|
