Would You Believe a Million Pieces?

Thursday, May 11th, 2006 at 11:27 AM by Dave

(Click on image for full-size version.) An infrared light image of Comet 73P/Schwassman-Wachmann 3 taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope. It clearly shows the comet is falling apart as it swings through the inner solar system. (Courtesy: Spitzer Space Science Center)

In a followup to my previous post on Comet 73P/Schwassman-Wachmann 3, the latest image from the Spitzer Space Telescope shows innumerable pieces that have broken off from Comet 73P/Schwassman-Wachmann 3. The Spitzer Space Telescope is an infrared telescope meaning it sees infrared light, which has wavelengths just a bit longer than the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum you or I can see with our eyes. Sunlight heats the pieces of the comet, causing them to radiate infrared light, so they can be detected by this telescope. The tails from the pieces trail away from the Sun, showing us the solar direction.

There are at least 36 major pieces of this comet. However, dust, pebbles, and boulder-sized peices eminate from the larger pieces as sun light melts the comet. This cometary debris will form spectacular meteor showers in the year 2022 when the Earth is expected to pass through this debris.

Posted in Astronomy News

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