Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




IRON AND ICE
Gas, dust observed streaming from 'soda-pop' comet approaching Earth
by Staff Writers
Pasadena, Calif. (UPI) Jul 24, 2013


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

NASA says a space telescope spotted what are likely strong carbon dioxide emissions from a comet that will pass through the inner solar system this year.

Images captured by the Spitzer space telescope suggest carbon dioxide is slowly and steadily "fizzing" away from the so-called "soda-pop comet," known as ISON, along with dust in a tail about 186,400 miles long, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., reported Tuesday.

Like all comets, ISON is a dirty snowball made up of dust and frozen gases such as water, ammonia, methane and carbon dioxide.

Warming up gradually as it approaches the sun, different gases are heating up to the point of evaporation, NASA scientists said.

"We estimate ISON is emitting about 2.2 million pounds of what is most likely carbon dioxide gas and about 120 million pounds of dust every day," said Carey Lisse, NASA's Comet ISON observation campaign leader at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

Comet ISON was about 312 million miles from the sun, 3.35 times farther than Earth, when the observations were made, scientists said.

"These fabulous observations of ISON are unique and set the stage for more observations and discoveries to follow as part of a comprehensive NASA campaign to observe the comet," James L. Green, NASA's director of planetary science in Washington, said.

Data collected from ISON may help explain how and when the solar system first formed, scientists said.

"This observation gives us a good picture of part of the composition of ISON, and, by extension, of the proto-planetary disk from which the planets were formed," Lisse said.

.


Related Links
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








IRON AND ICE
NASA Comet ISON Observing Campaign
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 23, 2013
In 1680, Kirch's comet lit up the nighttime skies, and was even briefly visible in broad daylight. With a remarkably similar orbit to that of Comet ISON, can we expect a similar show come November? This week we chose not to highlight Comet ISON, but instead a completely different comet: C/1680 V1 (Kirch). Are we already out of ideas, and bored with Comet ISON? Of course not. Read on... Dis ... read more


IRON AND ICE
Moon Base and Beyond

First-ever lunar south pole mission could be attempted by 2016

Engine recovered from Atlantic confirmed as Apollo 11 unit

Soviet Moon rover moved farther than thought

IRON AND ICE
Mars Curiosity sets one-day driving distance record

Scientists establish age of Mars meteorites found on Earth

Ancient snowfall likely carved Martian valleys

Reports Detail Mars Rover Clues to Atmosphere's Past

IRON AND ICE
NASA starts building faster-than-light warp engine

Zero Gravity Solutions Commences Trading Of Its Stock

Boeing CST-100 Spacecraft Model Passes Water-Recovery Tests

NASA announces funding for far-out space research

IRON AND ICE
China launches three experimental satellites

Medical quarantine over for Shenzhou-10 astronauts

China's astronauts ready for longer missions

Chinese probe reaches record height in space travel

IRON AND ICE
ISS Research Exposing the Salty Truth of Supercritical Water Transitions

NASA launches new probe of spacesuit failure

Space Station ARISS Software Upgraded by Student For Students

Astronaut's helmet leak forces abrupt end to spacewalk

IRON AND ICE
Alphasat Wears Its Color For Alphabus

Both payloads for Arianespace's next Ariane 5 flight are now mated to the launcher

SpaceX Testing Complete at NASA Glenn's Renovated Facility

Alphasat stacks up

IRON AND ICE
Snow falling around infant solar system

'Water-Trapped' Worlds

A snow line in an infant solar system: Astronomers take first images

In the Zone: The Search For Habitable Planets

IRON AND ICE
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the lowest noise of them all

Researchers seek metal-coating secrets of ancient gold-, silversmiths

Magnets make droplets dance

Delayed Shield game gadget to hit market on July 31




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement