Rosetta: Comet's wind mystery may be solved

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Rosetta: Comet's wind mystery may be solved

Scientists from the Rosetta mission may have solved the puzzle of features on Comet 67P that look like they were produced by wind.

Dust appears to be getting blown along the surface - a surprise finding on an "airless" body like a comet.

But the features could instead be created when cometary particles surrounding the nucleus fall back down again, disturbing the surface.

Dr Stefano Mottola outlined details to a major science meeting in Texas, US.

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[Space Commander Travis]

I know I'm being incredibly ignorant and naive, but if it's caused by dust particles fall back onto the surface of it, what makes them do that? It's far too small to have any appreciable gravity, isn't it?

[Waspie_Dwarf]

It's far too small to have any appreciable gravity, isn't it?

Define appreciable.

It most certainly has gravity (otherwise how would the Philae lander have landed?) Anything not achieving escape velocity (which on 67P is about 1m/s) will fall back.

[+DieChecker]

The article says the "wind" effects appear to be oriented north to south. So does that mean that the comet has "poles" that it rotates around? I'd expect to see an effect due to the rotation and falling debris, but north to south wouldn't be explained by rotation.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

The article says the "wind" effects appear to be oriented north to south. So does that mean that the comet has "poles" that it rotates around?

Any rotating object has poles it rotates around, unless the object is tumbling chaotically. The solar system objects that tumble chaotically are few and far between.