La cometa di Rosetta

La sonda spaziale dell’ESA Rosetta si sveglierà oggi, 20 gennaio, dopo 31 mesi di ibernazione nello spazio profondo, per avvicinarsi finalmente alla cometa 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/CG).

Quest’immagine mostra le osservazioni più recenti della cometa di 4 chilometri di diametro, prese il 5 ottobre 2013 dal Very Large Telescope (VLT) di ESO, quando la cometa era distante circa 500 milioni di chilometri, prima che passasse dietro il Sole e fuori dalla nostra prospettiva terrestre. 

Per quest’immagine è stata elaborata una lunga serie di osservazioni  per svelare sia la cometa senza le stelle del sottofondo (a sinistra) sia il campo stellare con la traiettoria della cometa evidenziata (a destra). La cometa era così lontana dal Sole che il suo nucleo di ghiaccio non rilasciava nessun gas o polvere, e appare come un semplice punto nel sottofondo  denso di stelle in direzione del centro  della Via Lattea . Avvicinandosi al Sole, la sua superficie si riscalderà e il suo ghiaccio sublimerà, rilasciando polveri a  formare una coda. 

Questa osservazione segna l’inizio di una stretta collaborazione tra ESA e ESO per seguire la cometa dal suolo durante l’incontro di Rosetta con 67P/CG, che avverrà più tardi quest’anno. Rosetta è stata lanciata nel 2004 e mira ad esplorare la superficie della cometa, rilasciando un lander giù su 67P/CG per studiare l'aspetto della sua superficie  [1].

La cometa segue un’orbita di 6.5 anni di periodo attorno al Sole e si trova attualmente verso l’orbita di Giove. Sarà nel suo punto più vicino al Sole - approssimativamente tra l’orbita di Marte e quella della Terra - nell’agosto 2015. Questa immagine suggerisce che la cometa non è ancora attiva, quindi non vedono l’ora di osservarla di nuovo a febbraio, quando è di nuovo osservabile con il VLT e molto più vicina al Sole. 

Nel fra tempo le osservazioni di ottobre sono state usate per confermare l’orbita della cometa prima del suo appuntamento con Rosetta in maggio, e per allinearla per mettersi in orbita attorno a 67P/CG in agosto. Ulteriori calcoli saranno effettuati una volta che Rosetta abbia la cometa in vista con i suoi strumenti. 

Note

 [1]. Dal momento della partenza Rosetta ha viaggiato attorno al Sole per cinque volte, aumentando la sua velocità  e proseguendo la sua destinazione finale. Durante il tratto più freddo della missione, mentre Rosetta si trovava oltre l’orbite di Giove, la sonda spaziale è stata messa in ibernazione. 67P/CG si trova su un’orbita ragionevolmente stabile e ben conosciuta, il che significa che i calcoli per la traiettoria di Rosetta possono essere fatti molto in anticipo della partenza e si trova abbastanza lontana dal Sole per essere un bersaglio sicuro. 

Link 

- Vista con il VLT della cometa 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in ottobre 2013

- La traiettoria della cometa 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in ottobre 2013 

- Immagine spaziale delle settimana di ESA

- Informazione di ESA su Rosetta

- Appello ai media: il risveglio di Rosetta

- Il Very Large Telescope di ESO

Crediti:

ESO, Colin Snodgrass (Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany)

A proposito dell'immagine

Identificazione:potw1403a
Lingua:it
Tipo:Osservazione
Data di pubblicazione:Lunedì 20 Gennaio 2014 10:00
Dimensione:2088 x 1050 px

A proposito delll'oggetto

Nome:67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Tipo:Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Comet

Formati delle immagini

JPEG grande
751,5 KB

Colori e filtri

BandaTelescopio
Ottico
R
Very Large Telescope
FORS2
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