Astronomers have seen the nucleus of comet 46P / Virtanen

It turned out to be irregular, with a slightly elongated body and a diameter of a little over a kilometer

Astronomers using the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope were able to visualize the 46P / Virtanen comet nucleus, the brightest comet in 2018. See comet succeeded when he approached Earth. In addition, astronomers have appreciated the size of the particles that make up his coma, according to a press release published on the website of the University of Arizona, informs UkrMedia.

Comet 46P / Virtanen was opened in January 1948 by the American astronomer Carl Virtanen. It is short-lived and revolves around the sun for 5.4 years. On December 12th, the comet reached its perihelion and on December 16th, it flew at the smallest distance from Earth (11.6 million kilometers) for all-weather observation. In the near future, the 46P / Wirthaneen chandelier will fluctuate between 4.1 and 4.9 magnitudes, making it an ideal target for amateur observations.

Usually, the interior of the comet is not available for ground observations. The combination of 46P / Virtanen with our planet thus offers an excellent opportunity to study in detail the gaseous structure surrounding the nucleus of a comet, in particular to understand the composition of the cometary nucleus and the chemical processes taking place in the comic strip. action of solar radiation. Astronomers conducted a large-scale surveillance campaign involving space and ground observatories, including the Gabble Space Telescope, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and the ALMA Radio Telescope System

between December 10 and 18 at the observation of a telescope antenna radio connected Comet Observatory Arezhibo. On the radar images received, it was possible to see the nucleus of a comet, which has an elongated shape with an uneven surface, covered with projections. The diameter of the core is about 1.4 km. In addition, with the aid of a radio telescope, it has been possible to establish that a large portion of asymmetric comets are particles less than two centimeters in size.