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Published Online September 15, 2005
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1119091

Reports

Submitted on August 19, 2005
Accepted on September 9, 2005

Subaru Telescope Observations of Deep Impact

S. Sugita 1*, T. Ootsubo 2, T. Kadono 3, M. Honda 4, S. Sako 5, T. Miyata 5, I. Sakon 6, T. Yamashita 7, H. Kawakita 8, H. Fujiwara 6, T. Fujiyoshi 9, N. Takato 9, T. Fuse 9, J. Watanabe 10, R. Furusho 11, S. Hasegawa 4, T. Kasuga 10, T. Sekiguchi 10, D. Kinoshita 12, K. J. Meech 13, D. H. Wooden 14, W. H. Ip 12, M. F. A'Hearn 15

1 Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, University of Tokyo, Japan; Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; Brown University, Department of Geological Sciences, Providence, RI, USA.
2 Division of Particle and Astrophysical Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan.
3 Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, University of Tokyo, Japan; Institute for Research on Earth Evolution, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
4 Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
5 Institute of Astronomy, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
6 Department of Astronomy, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
7 Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences.
8 Department of Physics, Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan.
9 Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences
10 National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
11 Waseda University, Japan.
12 Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, Taiwan.
13 Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, USA.
14 Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, USA.
15 Astronomy Department, University of Maryland, USA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
S. Sugita , E-mail: sugita{at}k.u-tokyo.ac.jp

The impact cratering process on a comet is controversial but holds the key for interpreting observations of the Deep Impact collision with comet 9P/Tempel 1. Mid-infrared data of the large-scale dust plume ejected by the impact from the Cooled Mid-Infrared Camera and Spectrometer (COMICS) of the Subaru Telescope indicate that the plume contained a large mass (~106 kg) of dust and formed two wings approximately ±45° from the symmetric center, both consistent with gravity as the primary control on the impact and its immediate aftermath. The dust distribution in the inner part of the plume, however, is inconsistent with a pure gravity control and implies that evaporation and expansion of volatiles accelerated dust.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Exposed Water Ice Deposits on the Surface of Comet 9P/Tempel 1.
J. M. Sunshine, M. F. A'Hearn, O. Groussin, J.-Y. Li, M. J. S. Belton, W. A. Delamere, J. Kissel, K. P. Klaasen, L. A. McFadden, K. J. Meech, et al. (2006)
Science 311, 1453-1455
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Deep Impact: Observations from a Worldwide Earth-Based Campaign.
K. J. Meech, N. Ageorges, M. F. A'Hearn, C. Arpigny, A. Ates, J. Aycock, S. Bagnulo, J. Bailey, R. Barber, L. Barrera, et al. (2005)
Science 310, 265-269
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The Dust Grains from 9P/Tempel 1 Before and After the Encounter with Deep Impact.
D. E. Harker, C. E. Woodward, and D. H. Wooden (2005)
Science 310, 278-280
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)