Surface changes on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko suggest a more active past

Journal
Date Issued
2017
Author(s)
El-Maarry, M. Ramy
•
Groussin, O.
•
Thomas, N.
•
•
Auger, A. -T.
•
Davidsson, B.
•
Hu, X.
•
Hviid, S. F.
•
Knollenberg, J.
•
Güttler, C.
•
•
Fornasier, S.
•
Feller, C.
•
Hasselmann, P.
•
Vincent, J. -B.
•
Sierks, H.
•
Barbieri, C.
•
Lamy, P.
•
Rodrigo, R.
•
Koschny, D.
•
Keller, H. U.
•
Rickman, H.
•
A'Hearn, M. F.
•
Barucci, M. A.
•
Bertaux, J. -L.
•
Bertini, I.
•
Besse, S.
•
Bodewits, D.
•
•
Da Deppo, V.
•
Debei, S.
•
De Cecco, M.
•
Deller, J.
•
Deshapriya, J. D. P.
•
•
Gutierrez, P. J.
•
Hofmann, M.
•
Ip, W. -H.
•
Jorda, L.
•
Kovacs, G.
•
Kramm, J. -R.
•
Kührt, E.
•
Küppers, M.
•
Lara, L. M.
•
Lazzarin, M.
•
Lin, Z. -Yi
•
Lopez Moreno, J. J.
•
Marchi, S.
•
Marzari, F.
•
Mottola, S.
•
Naletto, G.
•
Oklay, N.
•
Pommerol, A.
•
Preusker, F.
•
Scholten, F.
•
Shi, X.
DOI
Abstract
The Rosetta spacecraft spent ~2 years orbiting comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, most of it at distances that allowed surface characterization and monitoring at submeter scales. From December 2014 to June 2016, numerous localized changes were observed, which we attribute to cometary-specific weathering, erosion, and transient events driven by exposure to sunlight and other processes. While the localized changes suggest compositional or physical heterogeneity, their scale has not resulted in substantial alterations to the comet’s landscape. This suggests that most of the major landforms were created early in the comet’s current orbital configuration. They may even date from earlier if the comet had a larger volatile inventory, particularly of CO or CO2 ices, or contained amorphous ice, which could have triggered activity at greater distances from the Sun.
Volume
355
Issue
6332
Start page
1392
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
0036-8075
Ads BibCode
2017Sci...355.1392E
Rights
open.access
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