丘泽彗星的雪

2024年1月6日

The Snows of Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Images Credit: ESA, Rosetta, MPS, OSIRIS; UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA;
Animation: Jacint Roger Perez

Explanation: You couldn’t really be caught in this blizzard while standing by a cliff on periodic comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Orbiting the comet in June of 2016, the Rosetta spacecraft’s narrow angle camera did record streaks of dust and ice particles similar to snow as they drifted across the field of view close to the camera and above the comet’s surface. Still, some of the bright specks in the scene are likely due to a rain of energetic charged particles or cosmic rays hitting the camera, and the dense background of stars in the direction of the constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major). In the video, the background stars are easy to spot trailing from top to bottom. The stunning movie was constructed from 33 consecutive images taken over 25 minutes while Rosetta cruised some 13 kilometers from the comet’s nucleus. In September 2016, the nucleus became the final resting place for the Rosetta spacecraft after its mission was ended with a successful controlled impact on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Tomorrow’s picture: cats in space

丘泽彗星的雪
影像提供: ESA, Rosetta, MPS, OSIRIS; UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA;
动画制作: Jacint Roger Perez

说明: 当你站在周期彗星丘泽（67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko；简称为67P）的悬崖上时，并不会被这场暴风雪所困。在2016年6月绕行这颗彗星时，罗塞塔航天器的窄视角相机，记录到看来像降雪的尘埃和冰粒，飘过彗星表面上方的相机视野里。然而，影像里的部分亮斑，可能来自轰击相机的带电粒子或宇宙射线，以及大犬座方向密密麻麻的背景恒星。在主题影片里，背景恒星轻易可辨，因为它们所产生的光痕是由上而下。这部精采的缩时动画，建构自罗塞塔号飞行在这颗彗星的彗核上方约13公里高时，于25分钟期间所拍摄的33张系列照片。 2016年9月，罗塞塔号太空船成功的进行了受控撞击丘泽彗星、终结其任务，而这颗彗星的彗核，就成为它的最后安息之所。

明日的图片: cats in space