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Gemini Sees Rocky Material on Tempel 1
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Original Message
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Gemini Sees Rocky Material on Tempel 1
[link to www.universetoday.com]
Summary - (Jul 7, 2005) As Deep Impact´s
impactor probe smashed into Comet
Tempel 1 this week, every available
observatory, on land and in space was
watching to help gather as much science
as possible from this $333 million
mission. The Gemini North telescope,
located on Hawaii´s Mauna Kea
successfully captured images, before
and after the collision that clearly
show the debris cloud moving off the
comet. They also found evidence that
rocky materials were exposed on the
comet´s surface.
False colour image of Tempel 1 taken by
Gemini North. Image credit: Gemini.
Click to enlarge.
[link to www.universetoday.com]
The Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea
successfully captured the dramatic
fireworks display produced by the
collision of NASA´s Deep Impact probe
with Comet 9P/Tempel 1. Researchers in
two control rooms on Hawaii’s Big Island
(on Mauna Kea and in Hilo) were able to
keep enough composure amid an almost
giddy excitement to perform a
preliminary analysis of the data. They
concluded from the mid-infrared
spectroscopic observations that there
was strong evidence for silicates or
rocky material exposed by the impact.
Little doubt remains that the
unprecedented quality of the Gemini
data will keep astronomers busy for
years.
“The properties of the mid-infrared
light were completely transformed after
impact,” said David Harker of the
University of San Diego,
co-investigator for the research team.
“In addition to brightening by a factor
of about 4, the characteristics of the
mid-infrared light was like a chameleon
and within five minutes of the collision
it looked like an entirely new object.”
Harker’s research partner Chick Woodward of the University of Minnesota
speculated further, “We are possibly
seeing crystalline silicates which
might even be similar to the beach sand
here in Hawaii! This data will keep us
busy trying to figure out the size and
composition of these grains to better
understand the similarities and
differences between the material
contained within comets and other bodies
in the solar system.”
In addition to the spectroscopic
observations, before-and-after images
were also obtained by the Gemini
telescope in thermal infrared light and
can be seen in Figure 1. Gemini
monitored the comet for several weeks
prior to the impact and will continue to
watch it through the end of July.
The Gemini observations were part of a
coordinated effort between the W.M.
Keck, Subaru and Gemini Observatories so
that each could concentrate on
different observations and provide a
complete, complementary “picture” of the
impact. Astronomers anticipate that the
data gathered from the largest and most
sophisticated set of telescopes
positioned to see the impact will add
considerably to our understanding of
comets as dynamic probes of our solar
system’s early evolution some 4.5-5
billion years ago.
The Gemini observations were made using
Michelle, the facility mid-infrared
imager/spectrograph built at the Royal
Observatory of Edinburgh (ROE) in the
UK. The instrument has unique
capabilities in the mid-infrared
especially at Gemini which uses
protected silver coatings on main
mirrors to provide exceptional
performance in the “thermal” or
mid-infrared part of the spectrum.
Original Source: Gemini Observatory News Release
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