Evolution of comet Tempel 1

The images obtained at the VLT show that after the impact, the morphology of Comet Tempel 1 had changed, with the appearance of a new plume-like structure, produced by matter being ejected with a speed of about 700 to 1,000 km/h. This structure, however, diffused away in the following days, being more and more diluted and less visible, the comet taking again the appearance it had before the impact. Further images obtained with, among others, the adaptive optics NACO instrument on the Very Large Telescope, showed the same jets that were visible prior to impact, demonstrating that the comet activity survived widely unaffected by the spacecraft crash.

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:eso0523a
Type:Observation
Release date:14 July 2005
Related releases:eso0523
Size:1280 x 539 px

About the Object

Name:Comet Tempel 1
Type:Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Comet
Category:Solar System

Image Formats

Large JPEG
63.2 KB
Screensize JPEG
45.0 KB

Wallpapers

1024x768
73.8 KB
1280x1024
102.4 KB
1600x1200
135.2 KB
1920x1200
160.4 KB
2048x1536
189.0 KB

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Infrared
Near-IR
Very Large Telescope
NACO