Categories: Comets

Gemini Sees Rocky Material on Tempel 1

False colour image of Tempel 1 taken by Gemini North. Image credit: Gemini. Click to enlarge.
The Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea successfully captured the dramatic fireworks display produced by the collision of NASA’s Deep Impact probe with Comet 9P/Tempel 1. Researchers in two control rooms on Hawaii?s Big Island (on Mauna Kea and in Hilo) were able to keep enough composure amid an almost giddy excitement to perform a preliminary analysis of the data. They concluded from the mid-infrared spectroscopic observations that there was strong evidence for silicates or rocky material exposed by the impact. Little doubt remains that the unprecedented quality of the Gemini data will keep astronomers busy for years.

?The properties of the mid-infrared light were completely transformed after impact,? said David Harker of the University of San Diego, co-investigator for the research team. ?In addition to brightening by a factor of about 4, the characteristics of the mid-infrared light was like a chameleon and within five minutes of the collision it looked like an entirely new object.? Harker?s research partner Chick Woodward of the University of Minnesota speculated further, ?We are possibly seeing crystalline silicates which might even be similar to the beach sand here in Hawaii! This data will keep us busy trying to figure out the size and composition of these grains to better understand the similarities and differences between the material contained within comets and other bodies in the solar system.?

In addition to the spectroscopic observations, before-and-after images were also obtained by the Gemini telescope in thermal infrared light and can be seen in Figure 1. Gemini monitored the comet for several weeks prior to the impact and will continue to watch it through the end of July.

The Gemini observations were part of a coordinated effort between the W.M. Keck, Subaru and Gemini Observatories so that each could concentrate on different observations and provide a complete, complementary ?picture? of the impact. Astronomers anticipate that the data gathered from the largest and most sophisticated set of telescopes positioned to see the impact will add considerably to our understanding of comets as dynamic probes of our solar system?s early evolution some 4.5-5 billion years ago.

The Gemini observations were made using Michelle, the facility mid-infrared imager/spectrograph built at the Royal Observatory of Edinburgh (ROE) in the UK. The instrument has unique capabilities in the mid-infrared especially at Gemini which uses protected silver coatings on main mirrors to provide exceptional performance in the ?thermal? or mid-infrared part of the spectrum.

Original Source: Gemini Observatory News Release

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today. He's also the co-host of Astronomy Cast with Dr. Pamela Gay. Here's a link to my Mastodon account.

Recent Posts

Hubble and Webb are the Dream Team. Don't Break Them Up

Many people think of the James Webb Space Telescope as a sort of Hubble 2.…

2 hours ago

Scientists Have Figured out why Martian Soil is so Crusty

On November 26th, 2018, NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight)…

10 hours ago

Another Way to Extract Energy From Black Holes?

Black holes are incredible powerhouses, but they might generate even more energy thanks to an…

16 hours ago

Plastic Waste on our Beaches Now Visible from Space, Says New Study

According to the United Nations, the world produces about 430 million metric tons (267 U.S.…

1 day ago

Future Space Telescopes Could be Made From Thin Membranes, Unrolled in Space to Enormous Size

As we saw with JWST, it's difficult and expensive to launch large telescope apertures, relying…

2 days ago

Voyager 1 is Forced to Rely on its Low Power Radio

Voyager 1 was launched waaaaaay back in 1977. I would have been 4 years old…

2 days ago