Instrument commissioning phase, Beginning final approach to the comet |
Instrument commissioning phase, Beginning final approach to the comet |
Mar 26 2014, 06:23 PM
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 93 Joined: 21-January 13 Member No.: 6845 |
Today a member of the camera science team put up the first images of the comet on his office door. So the camera works. He said on the image is M107 and the comet could this be?
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Jul 17 2014, 02:27 AM
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10194 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
nprev, it's hard to tell from just one jerky rotation, but that might be possible. A slow rotator lacks the ability to stabilize its rotation axis so it can precess dramatically - asteroid Toutatis is a well-known example, comet Halley is another, and Saturn's moon Hyperion may be another (rather than chaotic as often stated, but this is perhaps still uncertain).
With a reported rotation period of more than 12 hours this might be another example, but I am not sure about that. We can't be looking down the rotation axis because of the changing shape, and we are not looking at the equator because features would just track side to side. I think we are viewing within about 20 degrees of 45 degrees latitude. That might be enough to account for the changing appearance. Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PD: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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