The European Space Agency’sSolar Orbiteris about to get a uncommon celestial treat . It will be the sixth spacecraft to circumstantially cross the tail of a comet . Although its scientific mission was not expect to start just yet , the serendipitous encounter with the comet made the science squad change their plan .
The investigation is currently in the wake ofComet ATLAS , a recently discovered comet that fragmented at its draw near the Sun . Scientists have turned on four of the Solar Orbiter ’s retinue of instruments to determine more about the comet ’s makeup as it travel by through its hind end .
Comets are mostly made of deoxyephedrine so when they approach the Sun they begin to vaporise exit atrail of fine molecule behind , sometimes extending millions of kilometre away from the comet itself . This is its " rear " .
All premature interbreeding of comet ' tails by spacecraft have only been discovered after the event , but having the noesis that the Solar Orbiter would pass through ATLAS ’s tail in advance permit the science squad to set it for the brush . They were alerted by Professor Geraint Jones of the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory . Jones has a history of discovering such encounters , having found three in the datum from the ESA / NASA Ulysses Sun - analyze space vehicle .
“ An unexpected encounter like this provides a mission with unique opportunities and challenge , but that ’s good ! Chances like this are all part of the adventure of scientific discipline , ” enjoin ESA Director of Science Günther Hasinger in astatement .
Solar Orbiter ’s master mission to the Sun is to study the property of the solar wind and observe for the first metre the glacial area of our star . Its instruments will hopefully observe how the ion and dust release by the comet are affected by the solar tip , the stream of charge particles released by the Sun .
“ With each encounter with a comet , we learn more about these intriguing target . If Solar Orbiter detects Comet ATLAS ’s presence , then we ’ll learn more about how comets interact with the solar current of air , and we can check , for example , whether our arithmetic mean of dust tail behavior fit in with our models , ” Professor Jones said . “ All missions that happen comet provide pieces of the scroll saw puzzle . ”
Professor Jones is also the main investigator on theComet Interceptorproject . This mission will comprise of three spacecraft and is scheduled for launch in 2028 , aiming to intercept yet - to - be - discovered interstellar comet likecomet Borisovor another interstellar object like‘Oumuamua .
