Hubble captures Deep Impact collision with comet (Forwarded)

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

4 July 2005

Hubble captures Deep Impact collision with comet

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured the dramatic effects of the
collision early on 4 July between the Deep Impact impactor spacecraft
and Comet 9P/Tempel 1.

This sequence of images shows the comet before and after the impact. The
image at left shows the comet just minutes before the impact. The
encounter occurred at 07:52 CEST (05:52 UT/GMT).

In the middle image, captured 15 minutes after the collision, Tempel 1
appears four times brighter than in the pre-impact photograph.

Astronomers noticed that the inner cloud of dust and gas surrounding the
comet's nucleus increased by about 200 kilometres in size.

The impact caused a brilliant flash of light and a constant increase in
the brightness of the inner cloud of dust and gas.

Hubble continued to monitor the comet, snapping another image (at right)
62 minutes after the encounter. In this photograph, the gas and dust
ejected during the impact are expanding outward in the shape of a fan.

The fan-shaped debris is travelling at about 1800 kilometres an hour, or
twice as fast as the speed of a commercial jet. The debris extends about
1800 kilometres from the nucleus.

The potato-shaped comet is 14 kilometres wide and 4 kilometres long.
Tempel 1's nucleus is too small even for the Hubble telescope to resolve.

The visible-light images were taken by the high-resolution camera on
Advanced Camera for Surveys instrument. The Hubble Space Telescope is a
project of international co-operation between ESA and NASA.

For more information:

Lars Lindberg Christensen
Hubble ESA Information Centre, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6306
Mobile: +49 173 3872 621
E-mail: lars @ eso.org

P. Feldman
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
Tel: +1 410 516 7339
E-mail: pdf @ pha.jhu.edu

Hal Weaver
Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Lab, Laurel, USA
Tel: +1 443 778 8078
E-mail: hal.weaver @ jhuapl.edu

Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, USA
Tel: +1 410 338 4514
E-mail: villard @ tsci.edu

More about...

* Rosetta special: ESA views Deep Impact
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/index.html
* Rosetta factsheet
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMJUZS1VED_index_0.html
* XMM-Newton factsheet
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM14YS1VED_index_0.html
* Hubble factsheet
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMB5E1A6BD_index_0.html

Related articles

* Life of a comet
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEM3NV0PGQD_0.html
* Preparing for impact
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM8PE0DU8E_index_0.html
* Tempel 1: Biography of a comet
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMIUG0DU8E_0.html
* Rosetta monitors Deep Impact
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMCOZ1DU8E_index_0.html
* XMM-Newton to observe Deep Impact
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMSZC2DU8E_index_0.html
* Hubble sees outburst from Deep Impact comet
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMSBN5DIAE_index_0.html
* ESA observes Deep Impact from Earth
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMNRO5DIAE_0.html

Related links

* Watch NASA TV
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index_040705.html
* NASA Deep Impact
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/de...ain/index.html
* ESO Deep Impact news
http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-re.../pr-15-05.html
* Arianespace
http://www.arianespace.com
* DLR
http://www.dlr.de
* Astrium Space
http://www.astrium-space.com/

IMAGE CAPTIONS:

[Image 1:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMOOY5DIAE_index_1.html]
Hubble captures impact before and after

This sequence of images shows the comet before and after the impact. The
image at left shows the comet a few minutes before the impact, and the
one at right is an hour later. The encounter occurred at 07:52 CEST
(05:52 GMT/UT).

Credits: NASA, ESA, P. Feldman (Johns Hopkins University) and H. Weaver
(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)

[Image 2:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMOOY5DIAE...html#subhead1]
Minutes before impact

This image is from a sequence taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space
Telescope showing the comet before and after the impact. This image
shows the comet only a few minutes before the impact. The encounter
occurred at 07:52 CEST (05:52 GMT/UT). It was taken by the Advanced
Camera for Surveys' High Resolution Camera.

Credits: NASA/ ESA/Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

[Image 3:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMOOY5DIAE...html#subhead2]
15 minutes after impact

This image is one of a sequence from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
showing the comet before and after the impact. In this image, captured
15 minutes after the collision, Tempel 1 appears four times brighter
than in the pre-impact photo. Astronomers noticed that the inner cloud
of dust and gas surrounding the comet's nucleus increased by about 200
kilometres in size. The image was taken by the Advanced Camera for
Surveys' High Resolution Camera.

Credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

[Image 4:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMOOY5DIAE...html#subhead3]
One hour after impact

This image is one of a sequence from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
which shows the comet before and after the impact.

Hubble continued to monitor the comet after the impact, snapping another
image 62 minutes after the encounter. In this photo, the gas and dust
ejected during the impact are expanding outward in the shape of a fan.
The debris extends about 1800 kilometres from the nucleus. The images
was taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys' High Resolution Camera.

Credits: NASA/ESA/ H. Weaver (JHU APL)