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originally posted by: Ross 54
They've found that the comet is very dark in color, about like coal. Not even any white patches of fresh ice. Color photography is not likely to be of much avail, it seems.
They have seen very faint whitish vapor jetting out of the nucleus. How this is possible, given the absence of exposed ice, is unclear. Outgassing from a comet is supposed to be caused by exposed ice subliming directly to water vapor, under the heat of the Sun.
Cometary jets can originate from ices below the surface, if the surface is pitted / porous.
originally posted by: wildespace
originally posted by: Ross 54
They've found that the comet is very dark in color, about like coal. Not even any white patches of fresh ice. Color photography is not likely to be of much avail, it seems.
They have seen very faint whitish vapor jetting out of the nucleus. How this is possible, given the absence of exposed ice, is unclear. Outgassing from a comet is supposed to be caused by exposed ice subliming directly to water vapor, under the heat of the Sun.
They didn't say that there are no patches of surface ice at all, only that there are no large patches of ice visible.
Even a dark coal-like surface can have colour, and it is guessed that this comet's surface is reddish or orange-ish in colour, due to hydrocarbons.
Cometary jets can originate from ices below the surface, if the surface is pitted / porous.
originally posted by: wildespace
Getting back to the comet... WOW, this is the closest image yet, at about 1.1 meters/pixel; www.esa.int...
The most "torturous" surface I've ever seen!
originally posted by: Rob48
originally posted by: wildespace
Getting back to the comet... WOW, this is the closest image yet, at about 1.1 meters/pixel; www.esa.int...
The most "torturous" surface I've ever seen!
That is superb. Humans can be pretty damn clever sometimes (and pretty damn stupid most of the time).
originally posted by: JadeStar
originally posted by: Rob48
originally posted by: wildespace
Getting back to the comet... WOW, this is the closest image yet, at about 1.1 meters/pixel; www.esa.int...
The most "torturous" surface I've ever seen!
That is superb. Humans can be pretty damn clever sometimes (and pretty damn stupid most of the time).
Actually we are very much both, most of the time.
It's just that the stupidity gets reported on a daily basis while the clever quietly go about their work to make missions like this eventually happen.
originally posted by: Ross 54
The very white patches at upper left could be small patches of snow, which have otherwise eluded detection.
The ragged promontory at the upper middle of the images has more of the fine parallel linear features, and those that cross them at right angles.