NASA satellite photographed comet explosion in outer space

The explosion released about one million kilograms of matter and could leave a pit 20 meters in diameter on the surface of the comet Wirtanen.

Using data from NASA's Exoplanet Survey Survey (TESS) , a team of astronomers at the University of Maryland created a time-lapse video of the 46P / Wirtanen comet that releases dust, ice and gas. Time-lapse is a technique of combining multiple images continuously and fast forward. TESS photographed them during their approach near Wirtanen late last year.

TESS photographed them during their approach near Wirtanen late last year.

These are the most complete and detailed images to date of the formation and dissipation of the natural comet explosion. The team of experts published their findings in the Astrophysical Journal Letters on November 22.

There are two common theories about the cause of the comet explosion, both of which involve the Sun evaporating the surface ice and pushing the comet forward. According to the first hypothesis , a sudden heat wave struck the unstable ice and created an explosion. The second theory is that the newly formed ice must be suddenly exposed to sunlight by the cliff on the comet's surface collapsed or by other geological activity.

Wirtanen was closest to Earth on December 16, 2018. The explosion occurred earlier, starting on September 26. The first is an hour-long flash, followed by a period of continued lighting for 8 hours.

This second phase could occur due to the comet dust from the explosion, causing the dust cloud to reflect more sunlight. After reaching its strongest brightness, the comet began to fade in over two weeks. Because TESS takes detailed pictures every 30 minutes, the team can track each stage in detail.

The team of experts estimated the amount of matter erupted during the explosion was about one million kilograms. The explosion could leave a pit of 20 m in diameter on the comet. When studying the size of particles in the dust tail trail, the calculation results may be more accurate. Observing more comets will help scientists identify such multi-stage flare-ups in comet explosions as rare or common.