The Topography of Comet Tempel 1 as Distinguished From Images of the Deep Impact Mission

Details The Topography of Comet Tempel 1 as Distinguished From Images of the Deep Impact Mission The Topography of Comet Tempel 1 as Distinguished From Images of the Deep Impact Mission

Oct 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dps....39.2104g&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #39, #21.04; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.449

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

In this poster, we present the first elevation measurements of surface features on comet Tempel 1. We report on a project that involves determining the topography of comet Tempel 1, which was impacted during the Deep Impact mission, to provide more detail regarding the comet's surface structure for further analysis of the evolutionary processes cometary bodies undergo. We estimate the topography using data returned from the Deep Impact spacecraft, including Impactor Targeting Sensor (ITS) and Medium Resolution Instrument (MRI) images. Stereo pair images are used as the main method of identifying the relief of the topographical features. There are two sources from which the elevation is derived. The first is the parallax resulting from the different trajectories of the ITS and MRI data; the second is the parallax attributed to the time difference between MRI images. The best resolution, limited by the combination of MRI and ITS data, is about 8 meters per pixel, which limits the range of elevations we can determine. As determining elevation relies on the position of the sun with respect to the comet, the study of the comet's topography also yields some understanding of the material of the comet, as it is necessary to sort those features with natural brightness variations due to composition from those casting shadows. Because data taken during the Deep Impact mission only distinguishably cover a portion of the comet's surface, not all surface features can be analyzed. In this work we determine, map, and then analyze those areas that have sufficient stereo coverage. The determination of the comet's morphology will lead to a better understanding of the stability of its varying structures and thus perhaps the material of which it is composed. This work is funded by NASA's Planetary Data System (PDS) College Student Investigator (CSI) program.

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