MSSL - Deep Impact

MSSLONLINE	Deep Impact Mission - UK Image Bank
On the 4th of July 2005, a NASA spacecraft blasted a hole in Comet Tempel 1.
Above: An artist's rendering of Deep Impact. Credit: Pat Rawlings. [More]

OBSERVATIONS FROM:

Swift Gamma-Ray Observatory

	170s image of comet Tempel 1 taken last week with Swift UVOT (V filter). Download image files: Small JPEG Large JPEG Original File
	Image of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 taken on 29 June 2005 using the Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) through an ultraviolet filter centered on 2600 Angstroms. The image has been compensated for the motion of the comet on the sky, so background stars appear trailed. Download image files: Small JPEG Large JPEG Original File
	False colour image of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 taken with the Swift Ultraviolet Optical Telescope on 1 July 2005. The picture was formed from images taken separately through V, B, U and Ultraviolet filters and corrected for the Comet's motion before being combined. Hence background stars show up as a series of images in different colours. Download image files: Small JPEG Large JPEG Original File
	Animated image of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 showing the comet tracking across the sky. Taken by Swift UVOT on June 29th in ultraviolet light (2600 A), this sequence covers 40 minutes of elapsed time (1 Swift orbital visibility period). Download image files: Original File
	The ultraviolet brightness of Comet Tempel 1 as a function of time measured with the Ultraviolet and Optical Telescope (UVOT) on the Swift satellite through a broadband filter centred on 260 nm. Download image files: Large JPEG Original File

INT (Isaac Newton Telescope)

	This pre-impact image of 9P/Tempel 1 was obtained using the Isaac Newton Telescope in the Canary Islands on July 1st, just under 3 days from impact. The image was taken using a red filter which isolates the dust component of comet's coma. Other filters are being used to isolate ion emissions that might be produced by the blast. Download image files: Small GIF Original File
	The same image as above with image processing techniques applied to reveal the faint jet structures that are being produced naturally from the comet. We shall compare the pre- and post-impact images to search for changes that result from the probe impact. Download image files: Small GIF Original File
	Close-up version of image above. Download image files: Small GIF Original File
	This image is a coaddition of 4x20 second CCD images with the Sloan r filter, taken on July 1st from La Palma. The FOV is 300x300 arcsec. North is up and East to the left. Download image files: Small GIF Original File
	Same as above with contours overplotted to enhance the coma morphology. Download image files: Small JPEG Large JPEG Original File
	Same as above with image processing applied to reveal the jet structures Download image files: Small GIF Original File


	PRE AND POST IMPACT COMA MORPHOLOGY When comet Tempel 1 came into view from La Palma, some 16 hours after the NASA Deep Impact probe struck the comet, members of the La Palma Deep Impact Collaborating Observers team were able to start tracking the target comet with the 2.5m Isaac Newton Telescope. Both images are a combination of several red filter images which isolate the dust component of the coma. The first image was taken on July 3rd between 21:56 and 23:03 Universal Time, about 16 hours before impact. The next image was taken between 22:08 and 23:56 UT on July 4th, 16 hours after probe impact which occurred on July 4th 05:52 UT. The comet was seen to increase in brightness by a factor of two before and after the impact as seen from this location. Even in these images the effects of the impact can be seen by the changing coma morphology between the two images. North is up and East to the left.
	Download Pre-impact image: Small JPEG Large JPEG Original File	Download Post-impact image: Small JPEG Large JPEG Original File

	JET STRUCTURES PRE AND POST IMPACT We have applied image processing techniques to the comet images above to reveal the dramatic changes it the structure of the dust jets that resulted from the impact. Before impact, three natural jets were seen to be emanating from the comets icy core, or nucleus. This all changed as can be seen in the post impact image to the right. Not only do the jets increase in intensity but new ones have formed, illustrating how the probe impact has breached the crust of the comet to expose the ices underneath. Also, one of the jets seems to have separated from the nucleus, and is receding to the East (left) of the image. Download image files: Small JPEG Large JPEG Original File
	Same as above with cross hairs overlaid to guide the eye in comparing the two images. The cross hairs are positioned on the centre of the comet. Download image files: Small JPEG Large JPEG Original File
	Images courtesy of Dr. Stephen Lowry (Queen's University Belfast). Team members are Dr Stephen Lowry and Prof. Alan Fitzsimmons (Queen's University Belfast), Dr Andrew Coates (Mullard Space Science Lab), Dr Geraint Jones (Max Plank Inst. for Solar System Research), and Dr Carey Lisse (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab.)

UK Schmidt Telescope

	The intensity of the light from the region near the comet's nucleus is shown over two ranges of wavelengths (or colours).The underlying curve (the 'continuum') shows light from the Sun at all wavelengths, reflected by cometary dust. This reflected light includes solar absorption lines (dips) that originate at the Sun. The peaks at certain wavelengths are due to the emission of light by atoms and molecules at the comet, e.g. the C2 and CN molecules. Download image files: Original File
	The greatest effect of the impact is to significantly increase the level of the whole continuum, due to the release of extra dust. Preliminary analysis suggests that the intensity of several of the peaks also changed slightly. The strengths of these lines will be used to look at the composition and amount of different materials expelled from the comet's interior. The uncalibrated spectra, taken before and after impact, have been scaled to show the relative changes in each of the spectra. As the continuum brightness increased, the relative strength of the emission lines fell. Download image files: Original File
	These spectra were taken at the UK Schmidt telescope, Siding Spring, Australia by observer Rob Sharp on behalf of the proposal team (Andrew Coates, Geraint Jones, Rob Sharp, Casey Lisse).

• NASA News Headlines • Deep Impact Mission Homepage • Back to the MSSL Homepage •

Last update: Tuesday, October 4, 2005 13:14 GMT. This page is maintained by Martin de la Nougerede