Europa Clipper might soon pass through the ion tail of a comet, providing a unique glimpse of interstellar material
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| Europa Clipper, an interstellar traveler, may shortly cross the ion tail of comet 3I/ATLAS |
A rare near encounter with the tail of a comet hurtling through our solar system is scheduled for NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which is now traveling to study Jupiter's frozen moon Europa. The spacecraft is anticipated to travel through a path of charged particles released by comet 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar visitor that has been circling our planetary system in the direction of the sun for more than a year, between October 30 and November 6. If the timing is right, scientists will be able to examine interstellar material for the first time, and chasing down the comet won't need launching a space mission.
Scientists Forecast a Rare Encounter with the Ion Tail of an Interstellar Comet for the Europa Clipper
Researchers Geraint Jones of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Samuel Grant of the Finnish Meteorological Institute hailed the potential meeting as safe and scientifically valuable in a paper published on Space.com. Europa Clipper may cross the comet's ion tail, a luminous stream of charged particles driven away from the Sun by the solar wind, according to their computer model, Tailcatcher. According to Grant, this could be the closest we've ever been to obtaining some samples of stuff from a different star system.While orbiting Jupiter, Europa Clipper will be observing its magnetic field and looking for comet-derived ions. Comet activity, which is predicted to peak around October 29, and the direction of the solar wind will determine the results.
Europa Clipper's observations may be impacted by cometary ions, which transport heavier particles, deflecting the solar wind's flow, while ESA's Hera mission is devoid of equipment for detecting charged particles.
In advancing comet-tail forecasts and preparing for ESA's 2029 Comet Interceptor mission to fly through the comet tail, Europa Clipper loses the opportunity to traverse the comet tail.
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