Reminder about Deep Impact on night of July 3

[marcus]

Reminder about "Deep Impact" on night of July 3

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/images/deepimpact/skymap_north.gif

here is a skymap

NASA will send this 820 pound copper slug into the guts of comet Tempel 1
at 11 PM Pacific Daylight Time on 3 July

For people with home telescopes in, like, LA, who can watch it, Tempel 1 will be in the constellation Virgo near the bright star Spica

here is the press release
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/28jun_deepimpact.htm?list45222

the projectile will impact the comet at a speed of 23,000 mph, it says.

I forget what that amounts to in kiloton TNT equivalent kinetic energy. it is a lot of energy. I guess something will be learned from watching the crater and the ejecta. tough on the comet.

 

[turbo]

Unfortunately, Temple1 will dive below the horizon long before impact in this location (Maine). Folks in Arizona and southern CA ought to have a great view, though.

 

[tony873004]

Unfortunately, Temple1 will dive below the horizon long before impact in this location (Maine). Folks in Arizona and southern CA ought to have a great view, though.

I'm actually thinking you might be luckier in Maine.

I live in San Francisco. Twilight will have just ended by the time of the collision, and the comet will be about 1-2 hours from setting. But unless I see the blast itself, I don't think that 1-2 hours is enough time for the debris and fresh outgassings to expand into a large enough coma for me to see. An observer in Maine just might see the results 3 hours before me, on the following night.

 

[marcus]

a technical paper about "deep impact"!

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0506721

this will be better for some purposes than the broad-gauge media

 

[Phobos]

Physics Post article
http://www.physicspost.com/articles.php?articleId=189&page=1
(blatent plug)

 

[marcus]

Physics Post article
http://www.physicspost.com/articles.php?articleId=189&page=1
(blatent plug)

Nice article by James Ropp (aka Phobos) about comets in general and the deep impact mission. hadnt seen it earlier, glad you mentioned it!

 

[marcus]

http://www.nasa.gov/mov/121493main_Impactor POV to crash.mov

movie taken from the projectile as it approaches comet, to the moment just before impact


http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/multimedia/pia02123.html
still image 13 seconds after impact

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/multimedia/pia02124.html
still image 60 seconds before impact, nice portrait of Tempel 1.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/main/index.html
index page for the movie and the stills.

 

[Spin_Network]

Here is a great link and video from the bbc:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4647673.stm#

When the link opens, click the 'See images of the comets collision' then click the: SEE ALSO Nasa Scientists give details of the cosmic collision.

Pretty amazing video with latest details of impact.

 

[marcus]

Here is a great link and video from the bbc:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4647673.stm#

When the link opens, click the 'See images of the comets collision' then click the: SEE ALSO Nasa Scientists give details of the cosmic collision.

Pretty amazing video with latest details of impact.

thanks, SN, I just used the link you supplied and watched that 28 minute
"See Also Nasa..." movie all the way through. It's well worth watching, I think. A surprising amount of information to have so soon afterwards, although they keep going back to the fact that they need to do more analysis and image processing.