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Topographically Influenced Evolution of Large-scale Changes in Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's Imhotep Region
Soderblom, Jason M.; Bodewits, Dennis; Vincent, Jean-Baptiste +5 more
Large portions of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's northern hemisphere are blanketed by fallback material consisting of centimeter-sized particles termed the smooth terrains. Observations from the Rosetta mission show that the most drastic transient changes during 67P's 2015 perihelion passage occurred within a subset of these deposits. However, …
The EXCITING Experiment Exploring the Behavior of Nitrogen and Noble Gases in Interstellar Ice Analogs
Bekaert, David V.; Broadley, Michael W.; Marty, Bernard +3 more
Comets represent some of the most pristine bodies in our solar system and can provide a unique insight into the chemical makeup of the early solar system. Due to their icy volatile-rich nature, they may have played an important role in delivering volatile elements and organic material to the early Earth. Understanding how comets form can therefore…
Near-infrared Spectroscopy of the Nucleus of Low-activity Comet P/2016 BA14 during Its 2016 Close Approach
Kareta, Theodore; Harris, Walter M.; Reddy, Vishnu +1 more
The near-Earth comet P/2016 BA14 (PanSTARRS) is a slow-rotating, nearly dormant object, a likely dynamical twin of 252P/LINEAR, and was recently shown to have a mid-infrared spectrum very dissimilar to other comets. Comet BA14 was also recently selected as one of the backup targets for the ESA's Comet Interceptor, so a cleare…