Hubble Captures Dust Plume Images

Monterey Herald ^ | 6/27/05 | Alex Dominguez - AP

[NormsRevenge]

BALTIMORE - The Hubble Space Telescope has given astronomers a sneak preview of what they might see July 4 when a NASA probe strikes a comet, creating a cosmic display that may be visible with the naked eye in part of the Western Hemisphere.

One of a series of photos taken by the orbiting observatory while preparing for the Independence Day encounter shows a 1,400-mile plume of dust spewing from the comet toward the sun.

Johns Hopkins University astronomy professor Paul Feldman said light from the sun most likely heated a pocket of volatile gas trapped beneath the surface, causing the eruption. Feldman said the images have made him even more optimistic about what Hubble might be able to see July 4.

"If sunlight can cause some material to come out and give us this jet, maybe when Deep Impact hits it will release a lot of material," Feldman said.

The Deep Impact spacecraft will release a probe that is set to collide with the Tempel 1 comet early on the morning of July 4. Researchers are hoping for their first look into the heart of the comet, perhaps offering clues about the formation of the solar system.

The collision will be observed by the fly-by portion of the probe as well as NASA's space telescopes and telescopes on Earth. The force of the collision will be equivalent to 4 1/2 tons of TNT, creating a flash that may be visible to the naked eye in a southwestern swath of the Western Hemisphere. In the United States it would be visible only in areas west of a line from Chicago to Atlanta.

In the recent photo, Hubble was 75 million miles away from the comet when the visible light images were taken June 14.

"Hopefully, when the Deep Impact space probe hits the comet we'll see some of the same changes, or something better," said Cheryl Gundy, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore-based Space Telescope Science Institute, which coordinates use of the orbiting telescope.

ON THE NET

Deep Impact: http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov

[NormsRevenge]

The volatile nucleus of the comet Tempel 1 blows off a stream of dust that was captured in these transition sequence images by the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists said June 27, 2005. The dust jet could be a preview of what astronomers see on July 4, when NASA's Deep Impact space probe is set to collide with the comet, giving the first glimpse inside the heart of a comet, the scientists said in a statement. The first image was taken June 14 at 2:17 am EDT (0617 GMT) and the second image was taken at 9:15 am EDT (1315 GMT) the same day. P. Feldman (Johns Hopkins University), H. Weaver (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory), and L. (Nasa/Reuters)

[NormsRevenge]

Comet Tempel 1 is seen by the Deep Impact spacecraft on June 20, 2005 in this photo released by NASA on June 24, 2005. It was taken using the clear filter of the spacecraft's medium resolution imager camera. The spacecraft was 12,452,913.2 km (7,738,240 miles) away from the comet. NASA's Deep Impact probe is scheduled to lob a big copper 'bullet' into the comet on July 4 to look into the heart of this remnant from the formation of our solar system, scientists said. (Reuters - Handout)

---

NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft is shown as technicians from Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. work on the vehicle in Titusville, Florida December 23, 2004. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

[Red Badger]

Will the Deep Impact cause a trajectory change of the comet or a change in its period?.....

[txzman]

Wow! A Cosmic nipple.

[technomage]

or a change in its period

Happens to my wife all the time!

[technomage]

or a change in its period

Happens to my wife every so often.

[Red Badger]

Is that why you only do it once every four years?.......

[Red Badger]

Janet Jackson is not in that pic!.......

[RightWhale]

Will the Deep Impact cause a trajectory change of the comet or a change in its period?.....

Yes, but the mass difference is huge, so the change will be very minor.

[Paradox]

Don't you see!? The poor inhabitants of the comet are only trying to protect themselves from our impending attack!

[Colinsky]

Will the Deep Impact cause a trajectory change of the comet or a change in its period?.....

The comet's core is about six miles long. Deep Impact will definitely alter the comet's orbit, about as much as your car's trajectory is altered when a bee hits your windshield.

[theDentist]

Beautiful Plumage.

[TXnMA]

You must be a real hoot on Rorshach tests... '-}