NASA researchers think they understand why comets have a hard, crispy outside and a cold but soft inside just like fried ice cream. <\/p>\n
Two NASA spacecraft have interacted with a comet surface, and both found a crunchy exterior and somewhat softer, more porous interior. Scientists know thatcomets are made of a mixture of rock and ice, but up until now they could not fully explain this change in texture from the inside to the outside. <\/p>\n
Now, researchers using a souped-up refrigerator (officially known as a cryostat instrument) have re-created the conditions on the surface of a comet. They think they can explain the process that makes a comet not unlike a flying hunk of fried ice cream. [AmazingCometPhotos from Europe's Rosetta Probe] <\/p>\n
Scientists suspect that the very coldest comets and icy moons in the solar system contain a special kind of ice called amorphous, or porous, ice. To create amorphous ice, water vapor molecules must be flash-frozen at a temperature of about minus 405 degrees Fahrenheit (243 degrees Celsius). <\/p>\n
According to astatement from NASA, this flash-freezing process is \"sort of like Han Solo in the Star Wars movie 'The Empire Strikes Back,'\" in the film, Solo is flash-frozen alive in a slab of carbonite. <\/p>\n
Amorphous ice is extremely cold, but relatively soft, like cotton candy, according to Murthy Gudipati, a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an author on the new study. <\/p>\n
When the comet makes its way toward the sun, the temperatures on the outside become too hot for amorphous ice to survive. In the new study, the researchers re-created what happens on the comet's exterior when the temperature starts to rise. <\/p>\n
Comet Quiz: Test Your Cosmic Knowledge <\/p>\n
Comets are debris left over after the solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago. Let's see what you know about these ancient and elusive celestial wanderers. <\/p>\n
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Comets Are Like Deep Fried Ice Cream, Scientists Say<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NASA researchers think they understand why comets have a hard, crispy outside and a cold but soft inside just like fried ice cream. Two NASA spacecraft have interacted with a comet surface, and both found a crunchy exterior and somewhat softer, more porous interior Continue reading