Tuesday 10 September 2013

Phaethon confirmed as rock comet by STEREO vision

more »

The Sun-grazing asteroid, Phaethon, has betrayed its true nature by showing a comet-like tail of dust particles blown backwards by radiation pressure from the Sun. Unlike a comet, however, Phaethon’s tail doesn’t arise through the vaporization of an icy nucleus. During its closest approach to the Sun, researchers believe that Phaethon becomes so hot that rocks on the surface crack and crumble to dust under the extreme heat.

via Science Daily

Zazzle Space Exploration market place

No comments:

Post a Comment