Tempel 1 is a periodic comet (formally designated 9P/Tempel 1). It was discovered on April 3, 1867 by Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel, an astronomer working in Marseille. At the time of discovery, it approached perihelion once every 5.68 years until 1881. However, every so often, Tempel 1 passes close to Jupiter, which distorts its orbit and changes its orbital period. Its current period is 5.5 years.
Tempel 1 is not a bright comet; its maximum magnitude so far has been 11, far below naked eye visibility. Its diameter is believed to be 6 km.
In July 2005, Tempel 1 will be impacted by the NASA Deep Impact probe, which will gouge a 100 metre crater into its surface. The purpose is to study the interior composition of a cometary nucleus.
CometTempel1 was the target for NASA's Deep Impact mission which successfully smashed a copper projectile into the comet's surface and observed the outcome of the impact from the flyby craft.
Tempel1 heats up and cool down rapidly, a thermal cycling that bakes the ices out of the material near the surface contributing somewhat to the comet's powdery consistency.
The comet was well placed for its 1867 discovery thanks to its closest approach to Earth (0.568 AU) and its perihelion (1.562 AU), which occurred on May 15 and May 24, respectively.
The tails and comas of comets are simply electrical discharge phenomena and are not governed by the composition of the nucleus or solar heating.
A charged comet is likely to be destroyed before impact by a massive electrical discharge, or âcosmic thunderbolt.â That explains the mystery of the flashes that should have been obscured by Jupiterâs limb and the intense burst of radiation seen from Earth.
It is purely an assumption to attribute all of the radiance of the Tempel1 ejecta to scattered sunlight.
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