Rosetta Flew Through the Bow Shock of Comet 67P Several Times During its Mission

DECEMBER 14, 2018 BY MATT WILLIAMS

Rosetta Flew Through the Bow Shock of Comet 67P Several Times During its Mission

In 2014 , the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft made history when it rendezvoused with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This mission would be the first of its kind, where a spacecraft intercepted a comet, followed it as it orbited the Sun, and deployed a lander to its surface. For the next two years, the orbiter would study this comet in the hopes of revealing things about the history of the Solar System.

In this time, Rosetta’s science team also directed the orbiter to look for signs of the comet’s bow shock – the boundary that forms around objects as a result of interaction with solar wind. Contrary to what they thought, a recent study has revealed that Rosetta managed to detect signs of a bow shock around the comet in its early stages. This constitutes the first time in history that the formation of a bow shock has been witnessed in our Solar System.

As noted, bow shocks are the result of charged particles (plasma) emanating from the Sun (aka. solar wind) intercepting objects in its path. This process leads to the formation of a curved, stationary shock wave in front of the object. They are so named because when visualized, they resemble a bow and their behavior is similar to waves that form around the bow of a ship as it cuts through turbulent water.

In addition to planets and larger bodies, bow shocks have been detected around comets. Over time, the interaction between the Sun’s plasma and an object can have an effect on the object itself, its bow shock, and the surrounding environment. Since comets are an excellent way to study plasma in the Solar System, the Rosetta team was hoping to detect a bow shock around Comet 67P and study it up close.

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