Credit & Copyright: Y. FernAndez,
S. Sheppard, D. Jewitt
(University of Hawai`i)
Explanation:
Comet 57P
has fallen to pieces, at least 19 of them.
Orbiting the Sun every 5.9 years or so
this
faint comet - also
christened Comet 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte for its three
1941 co-discoverers - is simply 57th on the
list of comets known to be periodic,
beginning with
Comet 1P/Halley.
In mid July, responding
to
reports of a new object possibly associated
with Comet 57P,
astronomers were able to
construct this mosaic of deep sky images identifying a surprising
19 fragments (circled)
strung out behind the
cometary coma and nucleus itelf (far left).
The full mosaic spans about a million kilometers at the
distance of the comet,
while the individual pieces detected are probably a few tens to
a few hundred meters across.
Stress produced as sunlight warmed the icy, rocky nucleus
likely contributed to the
fragmentation.
In fact, when last seen passing through the inner solar system in
1996, Comet 57P brightened unexpectedly, indicating a sudden increase
in surface activity.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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