Real picture of the comet

2002/04/05 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Astronomia

On the head of all are the images of the comets with head of fire and tail bright. However, in the journal Science appears a photo close to comet Borrelly and it is evident that it has a very different aspect.

After the famous Halley, Borrelly is the closest comet. In September 2001, the Deep Space 1 spacecraft passed 2,000 km from the comets, obtaining the images using the spectrometry systems and cameras it carried. Thus it has been proven that the core has an approximate length of 8 km and that it has hardly water or hydrated minerals. In addition, their faults and mountains on the surface have been exposed, but no craters have been seen.

It is considered that water came to Earth by comets, so it is important to analyze its composition. In addition, according to some astronomers, they were also responsible for bringing the basic molecules of life. However, the images collected by the Deep Space 1 spacecraft provide valuable information about the situation of the solar system.