Last year a serendipitous encounter take place . The European Space Agency ’s Solar Orbiter flew through the seat of Comet C/0219 Y4 ( ATLAS ) , usually know as just Comet ATLAS . This hazard crossing allow for unequalled insight into cometic rear .
The findings ofthe celestial rendezvouswere presented at the National Astronomy Meeting 2021 . The datum allow the team to pose the surroundings of the cometary tail . The magnetic study from the solar winds – the stream of charged particles released by the Sun – appear to robe around the comet nucleus create a weakly magnetic field of force in the tail .
This is very important . Comets ordinarily have a bright and seeable shadow made of dust . This come from the debris released by the comet as it approaches the Sun . The 2d tail is often fainter and is eff as the ion tail . Its shaping is due to the interaction between gas from the comet and the particle in the solar wind .
To add even more uniqueness to the outcome , by the fourth dimension Solar Orbiter encounter the infinite dead body , Comet ATLAS was already fragmentise . It broke aside into about 30 pieces , each the size of a house . Solar Orbiter crossed the tail and was able to measure the change in magnetic field of study from the solar wind , into the comet ’s tail end , and then back into the solar confidential information .
Solar Orbiter is the 6th spacecraft to have fly through the tail of a comet but it is the first to do so within the scope of Venus . It is also one of the few to impart lineal measuring from a disunited comet .
“ This is quite a unique event , and an exciting chance for us to contemplate the make-up and bodily structure of comet tails in unprecedented point , ” lead author Lorenzo Matteini , a solar physicist at Imperial College London , tell in a statement . “ Hopefully with the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter now revolve the Sun closer than ever before , these events may become much more uncouth in hereafter ! ”
Solar Orbiter and NASA ’s Parker Solar Probe are revolve the Sun in very different orbits to deliver diverse but complemental reflexion of the Sun , including the closest data from our wiz as well as the first reflection of the Sun ’s polar region .
That said , work such as this shows just how versatile such space vehicle can be , expand our knowledge of the heaven beyond what their official missions entailed . Solar Orbiter ’s scientific discipline commission begins in earnest in November of this year .
