Boulder Migration in the Khonsu Region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission is the only space mission that has performed long-term monitoring of a comet at close distances. For over two years, Rosetta rendezvoused with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, which revealed diverse evolutionary processes of the cometary nucleus. One...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9825 |
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| author | Xiang Tang Xian Shi Mohamed Ramy El-Maarry |
| author_facet | Xiang Tang Xian Shi Mohamed Ramy El-Maarry |
| author_sort | Xiang Tang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission is the only space mission that has performed long-term monitoring of a comet at close distances. For over two years, Rosetta rendezvoused with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, which revealed diverse evolutionary processes of the cometary nucleus. One of the most striking events is the migration of a ∼30 m boulder in the southern hemisphere region of Khonsu. Previous works found the boulder's ∼140 m displacement occurred during the three months from 2015 August to October, and several triggering mechanisms were proposed, including outburst at the boulder site, seismic vibrations from nearby activities, or surface erosion of the slope beneath the boulder. In this work, we further analyze this impressive event by analyzing imaging data from Rosetta's OSIRIS camera. We constrained the boulder's migration time to within 14 hr and derived a detailed timeline of the boulder migration event and local dust activities. High-resolution thermophysical modeling shows significant dichotomy in the thermal history of the boulder's southern and northern sides, which could have triggered or facilitated its migration via its own volatile activity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ac3f30d7854b4a29b1663e16d902eea8 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-ac3f30d7854b4a29b1663e16d902eea82025-08-20T02:25:47ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-0197919110.3847/1538-4357/ad9825Boulder Migration in the Khonsu Region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–GerasimenkoXiang Tang0https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9322-4473Xian Shi1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4120-7361Mohamed Ramy El-Maarry2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8262-0320Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , 80 Nandan Road, 200030 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China ; shi@shao.ac.cn; School of Astronomy and Space Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, People’s Republic of ChinaShanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , 80 Nandan Road, 200030 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China ; shi@shao.ac.cnKhalifa University of Science and Technology , P.O. Box: 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesThe European Space Agency's Rosetta mission is the only space mission that has performed long-term monitoring of a comet at close distances. For over two years, Rosetta rendezvoused with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, which revealed diverse evolutionary processes of the cometary nucleus. One of the most striking events is the migration of a ∼30 m boulder in the southern hemisphere region of Khonsu. Previous works found the boulder's ∼140 m displacement occurred during the three months from 2015 August to October, and several triggering mechanisms were proposed, including outburst at the boulder site, seismic vibrations from nearby activities, or surface erosion of the slope beneath the boulder. In this work, we further analyze this impressive event by analyzing imaging data from Rosetta's OSIRIS camera. We constrained the boulder's migration time to within 14 hr and derived a detailed timeline of the boulder migration event and local dust activities. High-resolution thermophysical modeling shows significant dichotomy in the thermal history of the boulder's southern and northern sides, which could have triggered or facilitated its migration via its own volatile activity.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9825CometsComet surfacesComa dustComet volatiles |
| spellingShingle | Xiang Tang Xian Shi Mohamed Ramy El-Maarry Boulder Migration in the Khonsu Region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko The Astrophysical Journal Comets Comet surfaces Coma dust Comet volatiles |
| title | Boulder Migration in the Khonsu Region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko |
| title_full | Boulder Migration in the Khonsu Region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko |
| title_fullStr | Boulder Migration in the Khonsu Region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko |
| title_full_unstemmed | Boulder Migration in the Khonsu Region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko |
| title_short | Boulder Migration in the Khonsu Region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko |
| title_sort | boulder migration in the khonsu region of comet 67p churyumov gerasimenko |
| topic | Comets Comet surfaces Coma dust Comet volatiles |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9825 |
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