Cycles of evaporation and freezing
Cycles of evaporation and freezing
The sources and mechanisms of cometary activity are not yet fully understood. Measurements made using the VIRTIS spectrometer on board Rosetta have been able to show that, at certain times, water vapour flows from the comet’s interior and then freezes on the surface of the shadowed ‘night’ side of the comet. During the following comet ‘day’, the ice evaporates and the vapour escapes into space.
