The 19 regions identified on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko are separated by distinct geomorphological
boundaries. Following the ancient Egyptian theme of the Rosetta mission, they are named for Egyptian deities.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
to see a pair of NASA astronauts land
on the Moon. Just a month ago, the
world waited, this time glued to their
computer screens, for the signal telling us the little lander was safe on
the surface. Once that signal came
in, the team in ESOC knew something was not quite right. Further
analysis showed the lander touched
down initially, and with none of the
three grappling systems working,
Rosetta bounced three times across
the comet’s surface, finally landing in
the shadows. The science team was
able to download data from all of
Philae’s instruments, and rotate the
lander 35 degrees ensuring the largest solar panel would be exposed to
occupied its proper place between Mars and Jupiter?”
If this were the case, Olbers believed that many more asteroids would be discovered. Other astronomers thought
that asteroids were pieces of a planet that never formed.
They estimated that there were ten more asteroids.
Olbers’ belief that there were a great many asteroids
to be discovered reactivated the Celestial Police. They
again made careful observations of promising regions
of the sky at Johann Schröter’s private observatory at
Lilienthal. This was one of the largest observatories in the
world at that time and was very close to Bremen where
Olbers lived and worked. Karl Harding discovered a
third asteroid, named Juno, on September 1, 1804. However, it was much smaller than either Ceres or Pallas.
Not only did Olbers predict there were many more
asteroids, he proposed a theory about where these undiscovered asteroids could be found. Olbers thought
that the asteroid fragments of an exploded planet
were now in different orbits around the sun. Furthermore, he even predicted a point at which these various orbits would intersect.. When he searched close
to this point, he discovered Vesta on March 29, 1807.
Olbers became the first person to find two asteroids.
sunlight -- ultimately giving Philae a
chance to collect enough solar energy to power back up in the future.
Philae is now in hibernation mode,
and the team remains hopeful it will
be able to power back up once
the comet gets closer to the Sun.
The first images from Philae after
touchdown were of the landing site,
including panoramic shots of the surrounding area. Philae is equipped
with sensors and will measure the
density and thermal properties of
the surface; use its gas analyzers
to detect and identify any complex organic chemicals that might
be present; as well as measure
the magnetic field and interaction between the comet and solar
wind. Philae is also equipped with a
drill, able to dig up to 8 inches (20
cm) below the comet’s surface,
collecting samples for testing.
ESA project scientist, Matt Taylor,
said this about the mission: “Rosetta
is a big deal. The orbiter has rendezvoused, orbited and deployed a
lander to the comet surface. If that
isn’t enough firsts, the orbiter will remain alongside the comet for over
a year, watching it grow in activity
So, by 1807, the two asteroids to be closely observed by the Dawn spacecraft had been discovered. As it turned out, the discovery of Vesta brought
the first era of asteroid discovery to a close. Since
the four largest and brightest asteroids had been
found, additional asteroid discoveries would depend on more advanced telescope technology.
In 1813, the French army burned the city of Lilienthal
as they retreated from Russia. All of Schröter’s books
and observation records were destroyed and his observatory was looted. The Celestial Police disbanded
and Olbers continued his lonely search of the heavens
until 1816, when Schröter died. No more asteroids were
found during the period between 1807 and 1845.
Additional resources
• The William Herschel Museum: http://www.
bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/museums/herschel/
• NASA’s “Asteroids and Comets” home
page: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planets/asteroidpage.html
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