"Snow" on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is actually stars

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the interpretation of visual data from the ESA's Rosetta mission regarding comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, specifically addressing the phenomenon described as "snow" on the comet's surface and the claim that this "snow" is actually stars in the background.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that the "snow" observed on the comet is primarily composed of background stars, as suggested by landru79's rearrangement of frames from the Rosetta mission.
  • Others argue that the snow that is not stars is indeed snow, questioning the clarity of the initial claims regarding the visual data.
  • A participant emphasizes that the appearance of snow in the initial movie is misleading and requires image processing to clarify the distinction between stars and icy volatiles.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express disagreement regarding the interpretation of the visual data, with some claiming the "snow" is primarily stars and others maintaining that there is actual snow present on the comet.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights potential confusion arising from the visual representation of the comet's surface and the need for careful image processing to differentiate between stars and cometary materials.

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TL;DR
"Snow" on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is actually stars.
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9.) Snowy weather on comets. The ESA’s Rosetta mission witnessed cometary “snow” firsthand.

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The most spectacular movie from ESA's Rosetta mission shows what the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko looks like, including the volatile ices that sublimate and re-freeze when they're in sunlight or shadow, respectively, causing this snow-like behavior.
ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

However, landru79 (twitter) has rearranged the frames to show that most of the falling "snow" is actually background stars.
P38FEXeyvW5SK7smWHCEwS-970-80.gif
 
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The snow that is not stars is snow. Is this unclear?
 
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Keith_McClary said:
Summary:: "Snow" on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is actually stars.

Snowy weather on comets. The ESA’s Rosetta mission witnessed cometary “snow” firsthand.
Amazing clip!
 
Keith_McClary said:
Summary:: "Snow" on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is actually stars.

This statement is, of course, incorrect

Vanadium 50 said:
The snow that is not stars is snow. Is this unclear?

Exactly, the background points of light are mostly stars. The fast moving foreground streaks are the "snow" icy volatiles
 
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davenn said:
This statement is, of course, incorrect
To be quite honest, the stuff in the initial movie that looks like snow is not snow. We don't see the 'real snow' looking like it does - except perhaps in a short film clip when we're driving though it? A very easy mistake. It needed the image processing to resolve the confusion - cleverly done, imo.
 

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