ESA’s Solar Orbiter flies through exploded Comet Atlas
Recommended for Middle Grades
You may have read about Comet Atlas earlier. This was a bright comet that was breaking up as it approached Earth. The Hubble Space Telescope had captured it all.
It lost its tail but even without its tail, Atlas continues its journey around the Sun. So, the ESA (European Space Agency) decided to study it up close using its Solar Orbiter. This spacecraft is actually studying the Sun but got a chance to get close to the comet.
Solar Orbiter’s instruments were able to detect the magnetic field of the comet’s tail. Comets have two tails. One is the dust tail while the other is the ion tail, which creates a kind of magnetic field.
This encounter helped scientists learn more about the ion tail. They found that the magnetic field of the ion tail remains for a while even if the comet has broken apart.
Scientists say this was a rare opportunity but hope to get more in the future.
There are many more interesting news articles and information on space for all you kids. We have news and stories on stars, telescopes, galaxies, planets, exoplanets, black holes and much more. Or how about learning more about NASA, CNSA, ISS, ALMA, Hubble, ISRO? Well, keep reading our space news for children on Curious Times. And of course, keep your curiosity sky high!
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