TESS Catches a Comet

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is designed to seek out planets around nearby stars but at the end of TESS's testing phase NASA decided to look at a Comet on July 25th which was only discovered on June 29th this year , this is what they saw.

In addition to the comet, the images reveal a treasure trove of other astronomical activity. The stars appear to shift between white and black as a result of image processing. The shift also highlights variable stars — which change brightness either as a result of pulsation, rapid rotation, or by eclipsing binary neighbors.

Asteroids in our solar system appear as small white dots moving across the field of view. Towards the end of the video, one can see a faint broad arc of light moving across the middle section of the frame from left to right. This is stray light from Mars, which is located outside the frame. The images were taken when Mars was at its brightest near opposition, or its closest distance, to Earth.
www.nasa.gov...

a reply to: gortex

Nice, I haven’t heard about TESS. In the video they say how the comet tail was moving and it was very interesting. I was wondering why they found that so intriguing because it seemed to be doing what it was supposed to be doing as it orbited the sun.

They didn’t say anything about it in the article. Maybe they were just pointing it out for us like they pointed out the other things to make it easier to spot.

a reply to: gortex

Can't flag but here's a star..


I believe this not to be the same comet.. here: Comet Hulk
www.livescience.com...

Keep your eye up as we hit the meteor shower peek as well.
www.space.com...

How did they assess the reason for the movement of the tail position I wonder...if not to do with the pull of the Sun that is!

a reply to: gortex

Very cool stuff. Lot more asteroids than I would have thought.

a reply to: smurfy

Hey smurfy , they say it's the Solar wind affecting it as it orbits the Sun mate.

originally posted by: Alien Abduct
a reply to: gortex

Nice, I haven’t heard about TESS. In the video they say how the comet tail was moving and it was very interesting. I was wondering why they found that so intriguing because it seemed to be doing what it was supposed to be doing as it orbited the sun.

They didn’t say anything about it in the article. Maybe they were just pointing it out for us like they pointed out the other things to make it easier to spot.

TESS was launched by spacex for NASA about a month or two? Ago. It's our next planet hunter.. It will see much more of the sky than previous more pointed telescopes/cameras..

Then once it tells us where all the planet's are and hopefully the james webb isnt delayed again it will focus on the chemical makeup of those discovered planets atmospheres.. The james webb I mean.

I can't wait!

I wonder what resyst will do next.

Thankgoodness.

When my young daughter is the age I am now, I wonder if she will view this the same way I see Charlie Chaplin films today.

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses
When my young daughter is the age I am now, I wonder if she will view this the same way I see Charlie Chaplin films today.

That's an interesting way to look at it. And yes probably. I just hit that zone where I can't understand what the kids are saying these days.

Like dude my mom had a friggin cordless phone.. And it's funny writing that because it sounds like saying "horseless carriage."

We are in space like the first iPhone or aol online or youtube in 06.. After that # gets weird.




If anyone skipped over the video I highly recommend you go back and really pay attention. How crazy is that view?