| Risultati della ricerca nelle immagini - "Schwassmann-Wachmann" |
Comets-Schwassmann_Wachmann_1-01.jpgComet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3: incoming Space debris!58 visiteDa "NASA - Picture of the Day" del 26 Aprile 2006:"A crumbling comet will soon pass near the Earth. Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 is brightening and may even be visible to the unaided eye when the fragmented comet zooms past Earth during the middle of next month. Still, the small comet poses no Earth hazard, since it will pass the Earth at about 25 times the distance of the Moon. Exactly how bright Comet Schwassman-Wachmann 3 will get is unknown. It is even possible, althought unlikely, that debris from the comet will have spread out enough to cause a notable meteor shower. Pictured above, Fragment B of Comet Schwassman-Wachmann 3 was photographed two nights ago by a 8.2-meter Very Large Telescope in Chile. Visible to the lower right of the large B Fragment are many mini-comets that have broken off and now orbit the Sun separately. Each mini-comet itself sheds gas and dust and so appears to have its own hazy coma.
The comet will pass closest to the Sun on June 7, 2006".
|
|
Comets-Schwassmann_Wachmann_1-02.jpgComet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 from HST58 visiteHubble Space Telescope is providing astronomers with extraordinary views of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. The fragile comet is rapidly disintegrating as it approaches the Sun. Hubble images have uncovered many more fragments than have been reported by ground-based observers. These observations provide an unprecedented opportunity to study the demise of a comet nucleus. The comet is currently a chain of over three dozen separate fragments, named alphabetically, stretching across the sky by several times the angular diameter of the Moon. Hubble caught two of the fragments (B and G) shortly after large outbursts in activity.
HST shows several dozen of "mini-comets" trailing behind each main fragment and probably associated with the ejection of house-sized chunks of surface material.
|
|
Comets-Schwassmann_Wachmann_1-03.jpgComet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3: fragment "B"56 visitePeriodic comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 has fallen apart before. A cosmic souffle of ice and dust left over from the early Solar System, this comet was seen to split into several large pieces during the close-in part of its orbit in 1995. However, this time the comet seems to be rapidly disintegrating with over 3 dozen fragments, named alphabetically, now stretching several degrees across the sky. Since comets are relatively fragile, stresses from heat and gravity and outgassing, for example, could be responsible for their tendency to breakup in such a spectacular fashion. On April 18th, 2006, HST recorded this sharp view of prolific Fragment B, itself trailing dozens of smaller pieces, each with its own cometary coma and tail. The picture spans over 3000 Km at the comet's April 18 distance of 32 MKM from planet Earth. With its brightest fragment presently too faint to be seen with the naked eye, comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 will pass closest to Earth on May 13 at a distance of about 11 MKM.
|
|
|
| 3 immagini su 1 pagina(e) |
|
