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

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Keith_McClary
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Comet Stars
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion clarifies that the "snow" observed on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during the ESA's Rosetta mission is primarily background stars, not actual snow. The comet's surface features volatile ices that sublimate and re-freeze, contributing to the snow-like appearance. However, the majority of the falling "snow" in the footage is misidentified as stars, with only a small portion being actual icy volatiles. Image processing was essential to distinguish between the two elements in the footage.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of cometary science and behavior
  • Familiarity with the ESA Rosetta mission and its objectives
  • Basic knowledge of image processing techniques
  • Awareness of sublimation and re-freezing processes in volatile materials
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the ESA Rosetta mission's findings on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
  • Explore image processing techniques used in astronomical observations
  • Study the physical properties of volatile ices in cometary bodies
  • Investigate the effects of sunlight and shadow on comet surface features
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, astrophysicists, and space enthusiasts interested in cometary phenomena and the analysis of celestial imagery.

Keith_McClary
Messages
752
Reaction score
1,506
TL;DR
"Snow" on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is actually stars.
You may have seen:
10 Space Pictures That Look So Good You Won’t Believe They’re Real
Starts With A Bang
Ethan Siegel

9.) Snowy weather on comets. The ESA’s Rosetta mission witnessed cometary “snow” firsthand.

960x0.jpg


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
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: DennisN
Astronomy news on Phys.org
The snow that is not stars is snow. Is this unclear?
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: stefan r and davenn
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
 
Last edited:
Reply
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: russ_watters
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.
 

Similar threads

High School In Cosmic First, Scientists Spy a Star's Snow Line
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K