Comet approached Mars and caused complete chaos – TVN Meteo

Flight of the comet C / 2013 A1 (Siding Spring) above the Red Planet in October 2014, he was a great opportunity for sensors and cameras, which scientists have peppered the Martian rovers, and satellites orbiting celestial body. Collected thanks to the very large amount of data.

The premier can not see

magnetometer (an instrument for measuring the size, direction and magnetic field changes) placed on the probe MAVEN registered serious disturbances in the magnetosphere, which caused a flight of space rock next to Mars.

– Comet Siding Spring plunged into a magnetic field of Mars in complete chaos – said Jared Espley with NASA. – This meeting wiped out part of the upper part of the planet’s atmosphere, as does this very strong solar storm – he explained.

weak and full of holes

The atmosphere of Mars is weak. Any disturbances, such as. Arising after the passage of a strong blast of solar storm, so they are not something quite unprecedented.

astonishing, however, is the strength of the phenomenon caused by the comet, whose nucleus had a width of just over 500 m and the coma – a characteristic of comets “tail” – stretched the length of 966 thousand. km when the orbiting planet.

The researchers point out that when the nucleus of the comet from the sun heats up, it begins to emit its own magnetic field, extending the tail. Comet Siding Spring, approaching Mars hit the so-called. a hole in the atmosphere, causing a “violent shock” in the magnetic field.

I’m Feeling Lucky

The observation of this phenomenon is largely a fluke. MAVEN probe, which was the only suitable place for a week, she was able to sleep. Most of the measuring devices, which scientists have peppered artificial satellite, remained proactively off, not to be damaged during a close flyby of a comet.

– This will help us to understand how the sun and the solar wind affect the atmosphere of the Red Planet – emphasized Bruce Jakosky of the University of Colorado, who is head of the team assigned to support the probe MAVEN. – Observing how the magnetosphere responds comet with the magnetosphere of Mars, we can better understand what controls them and what are the consequences, as both bodies influence each other – he stressed.