Carbon levels in Comet Atlas could help astronomers detect the age of other comets- Technology News, Firstpost

FP TrendsJuly 15, 2020 11:37:43 IST

A team of astronomers from the Far Eastern Federal University of Russia (FEFU), South Korea and the US has suggested that the amount of carbon or the lack of it may indicate the time that comets have spent in the solar system .

The results of this collaborative study have been published in the scientific journal. Monthly notices from the Royal Astronomical Society.

According to a report in Eureka AlertIf the comet has lower levels of carbon, it means that it has been very close to the Sun for a longer period of time.

Comet Atlas seen March 14, 2020, Image credit: Wikipedia / Martin Gembec

The study authors have said the proof is their study of the comet ATLAS that approached Earth in May 2020 and disintegrated while showing a major outbreak of carbonaceous particles.

The report says that FEFU astrophysicists Ekaterina Chornaya and Anton Kochergin joined an international team of researchers to analyze the composition of dust particles in the shell and tail of the comet Comet Atlas. According to the study authors, the levels of carbonaceous matter inside the comet were very high.

According to an article in Phys.orgEkaterina Chornaya said Atlas was expected to be the brightest comet of 2020 that would be visible from Earth. However, instead of observing the comet, everyone witnessed its disintegration.

Luckily, according to Chornaya, they had started photometric and polarimetric studies before the process began and were able to compare the composition of the coma (shell and tail of the comet) before and after the disintegration.

According to Chornaya, during the disintegration, they noticed a dramatic growth of the positive polarization branch, which is consistent with a high concentration of carbonaceous particles.

According to a report in SpacerefEkaterina said Comet Atlas was a long-period comet, one that enters the Solar System once every 5,476 years. They approach the Sun only occasionally and are therefore rarely subject to warming.

The report adds that researchers are interested in these celestial bodies, as they contain a large amount of preserved primordial matter that begins to evaporate under the influence of solar radiation and allow scientists to study it.

According to Chornaya, the polarimetric response of the particles from the comet Atlas coincides with that of one of the brightest comets in Earth’s history: the Hale-Bopp comet.

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