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Review
Ten years ago, humanity planted a seed of exploration deep into space, targeting a mysterious comet hidden at the edge of the universe.
After a long voyage and a journey through six billion kilometers of space, human probes have finally arrived in this cold and mysterious world. Ten years, 70,000 photographs, and the hard work of countless scientists, what mysteries have been uncovered on this comet? It's time to get a glimpse of the wonders.
A comet of the Jupiter family from the Kuiper Belt
At the edge of the solar system lies a mysterious place – the Kuiper Belt. Hundreds of millions of small icy celestial bodies are gathered here, forming a huge annular region.
And this belt is one of the birthplaces of comets! When some small celestial bodies are disturbed by the outside world, such as Jupiter's gravity, they begin to leave their original orbits and enter the interior of the solar system, and finally become the shining comets in our eyes.
There is a special comet called Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P for short), which is the comet of the Jupiter family from the Kuiper belt.
The comet's orbit is heavily influenced by Jupiter, which orbits the Sun every 6.44 years. Its orbit extends from 1.24 AU (124 million km) at perihelion to 5.68 AU (568 million km) at aphelion.
Speaking of shape, the 67P is really chic. It is made up of two parts of different sizes, and then a narrow "neck" is connected in the middle.
This may be the result of two small bodies that were originally separate bodies coming together after a slow collision in the Kuiper Belt, or it may be caused by the uneven evaporation of ice on the comet's surface as it approaches the Sun.
The dimensions of the 67P are approximately 4.1×3.2×1.3 km, the mass is approximately 10 kg, the density is about 0.4 g/cm³, and the surface temperature is between -93°C and -43°C. Its escape velocity is about 1 m/s and its rotation period is about 12.4 hours.
In 2014, the European Space Agency's Rosetta probe and Philae lander successfully reached its surface. This historic landing allowed humans to observe comets up close for the first time, and many scientific experiments and observations were carried out. Through these detections, many mysteries hidden by the comet were revealed.
Why is it this comet that is being studied
Why did scientists choose Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as the subject of their study? It is because of the unique features of this comet that it has attracted so much attention.
It represents a typical group of Jupiter comets, and its orbit, shape, composition, and activity characteristics are of great scientific value.
First of all, the comet's orbit is relatively stable. Its perihelion and aphelion are both located inside Jupiter's orbit, which makes it relatively less susceptible to interference from other planets. As a result, it is easier for man-made detectors to catch up with it and can maintain relatively long contact with it.
Another point is that the material composition of 67P is very rich and diverse. The main component is ice and snow, that is, solid water, but in addition, there are elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, as well as some organic substances, and even some amino acids. These ingredients are an important part of life. It is of great significance for the study of the solar system and the origin of life.
Finally, the 67P's activity characteristics are also unique. As its distance from the sun changes, the surface temperature changes accordingly. When approaching the Sun, the surface ice and snow sublimate into gas, ejecting the nucleus of the comet, forming a spectacular comet hair and tail.
These gases and dusts are affected by the solar wind, creating an intricate wake structure. These activities have important implications for understanding comet dynamics and magnetic fields.
Clues to the solar system and life were seen on the comet
After more than two years of observing and analyzing the comet, scientists have made a series of astonishing discoveries that not only expand our understanding of the comet, but also provide important clues to the exploration of the solar system and the origin of life.
The comet contains a large amount of organic matter, which is the basic element of life. Even more surprisingly, scientists have even found 16 amino acids on the comet, which are the building blocks of proteins. These findings support the theory that comets may be one of the important sources of life on Earth.
The water on comets is not the same as on Earth, and their deuterium/hydrogen ratio is three times higher than that of Earth's water. This means that the water on the comet may have been present in the early days of the formation of the solar system, rather than being brought from elsewhere later. This also implies that the source of Earth's water may not be from comets, but more likely from other celestial bodies, such as asteroids.
The surface of the comet presents a complex topography and landform, including canyons, mountains, plains, fissures, dust layers, etc. The formation of these topography may be related to factors such as the comet's rotation, orbit, internal structure, and solar radiation. There are also many active gas vents on the comet, which eject large amounts of gas and dust, forming the comet's comet and tail.
Comets have weak magnetic fields and are unstable, changing with the comet's rotation and solar activity. This may be due to the fact that the comet contains some conductive material, such as metals or salts, which is affected by the solar wind.
epilogue
Ten years have passed, six billion kilometers have been traveled, and countless surprises and discoveries have been experienced. Humanity has come to the comet with great difficulty, and with the Rosetta probe and the Philae lander, it has cast a veil of mystery over this cosmic wonder. These 70,000 photographs bear witness to the in-depth exploration of science and the endless mysteries of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The exploration of this comet is an interweaving of human courage and wisdom. Our exploration of comets continues, and each discovery expands our understanding of the universe, of life, and of ourselves.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, like a title page, shows the infinite possibilities of the universe and inspires us to never stop exploring.
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