UCF Planetary Scientists Study Enigmatic Distant Comet

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Yan Fernandez

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Artist's concept of comet 29P in space, showing gas and dust jets coming off the nucleus.
Artist's conception of comet 29P in space, showing several jets of gas and dust coming off the nucleus.
(From https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-reveals-unusual-jets-of-volatile-gas-from-icy-centaur-29p/) An artist’s concept of Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1’s outgassing activity as seen from the side. While prior radio-wavelength observations showed a jet of gas pointed toward Earth, astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to gather additional insight on the front jet’s composition and noted three more jets of gas spewing from Centaur 29P’s surface. NASA, ESA, CSA, L. Hustak (STScI)

Physics Professor Dr. Yan Fernandez and FSI Scientist Dr. Charles Schambeau are part of a team that has just published a paper in Nature Astronomy describing observations and analysis of Comet 29P, a mysterious comet orbiting in the outer Solar System beyond Jupiter. The team used the James Webb Space Telescope for the research.

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