Dust tail of comet Tschingshan-Atlas. Top row: Cropped versions of computer-generated images of the comet taken by R. Naves with the 30 cm f/9 reflector telescope of the Montcabre Observatory, Spain, in June 2024. Bottom row: Four synchronisms mimicking the axial orientation of dust particles ejected from the nucleus (large open circle) at different times. Credit: arXiv (2024). Source: arxiv.2407.06166
Astronomer Zdenek Sekanina of La Canada Flintridge, USA, reported evidence that Comet Tutinshan may have broken up before it could orbit the Sun. Sekanina specializes in the behavior of comets, specifically analysing them to predict whether they will break up, or break apart, as they approach the Sun.
he, Comet It may disintegrate before it can be observed from Earth. Posts His research arXiv Preprint server.
Comet Zhiqingshan-Atlas, officially known as C/2023 A3, was first spotted last year by astronomers at China’s Zijinshan Observatory’s Xuyi Station. The comet then went missing, but was rediscovered by a South African team. rediscovery, Expectations The comet is forming as its size and orbit mean it will be easily visible when it approaches Earth in October this year and it was expected to potentially appear as bright as Jupiter in the night sky.
But Sekanina suggested in his paper that this hoped-for event probably won’t happen, as the comet is showing signs of breaking up before its arrival.
As a comet gets closer to the Sun, it starts to lose gas. And as it gets even closer, it starts to lose dust, creating a visible tail. Previous studies have shown that the release of gas tends to propel the comet forward like a thruster, and can slightly change the comet’s path and rotation speed.
Measuring this non-gravitational acceleration allows astronomers to predict the orbit the comet will take as it orbits the Sun, and is also used to estimate how bright the comet would be if it passed close enough to be seen from Earth.
his observationSekanina found that the comet isn’t getting as bright as expected, judging by its size, speed, and rotation rate. Even worse, it isn’t getting any brighter as it gets closer to the Sun. He suggests that the only possible reason is that the comet is currently in the final stages of fragmentation, which means it will likely break up into pieces too small to be seen from Earth.
For more information:
Zdenek Sekanina, The Inevitable Demise of Comet Tschinshan-Atlas (C/2023 A3), arXiv (2024). Source: arxiv.2407.06166
Journal Information:
arXiv
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Quote: Comet Tsuchinshan shows signs of fragmentation before orbiting the Sun (July 16, 2024) Retrieved July 16, 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-07-comet-tsuchinshan-prior-sun.html
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