ESA’s Solar Orbiter to pass through tails of comet ATLAS

The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter, launched in February 2020, unexpectedly encountered Comet Atlas. Discovered in December 2019, Atlas brightened rapidly but broke apart as it neared the Sun. Despite this, the Solar Orbiter adjusted its schedule to study the comet's tails using its instruments. Comets consist of dust, frozen water, and gases, with tails formed by solar radiation and wind. The Orbiter aimed to analyze these tails, providing valuable data on cometary composition and solar interactions.

What was the primary mission of the Solar Orbiter launched in February 2020?

• To observe distant galaxies

• To monitor Earth's atmosphere

• To explore the Sun and inner solar system

• To study the outer planets

When was Comet Atlas discovered?

• April 2019

• February 2020

• December 2019

• May 2020

What unexpected event allowed the Solar Orbiter to study Comet Atlas?

• The comet's sudden change in orbit

• The orbiter's instruments malfunctioning

• The orbiter's path intersecting with the comet's tails

• The comet's collision with another celestial body

What are the components of a comet's dust tail?

• Charged particles

• Frozen gases

• Particles blown by the Sun's radiation

• Magnetic fields

Which instrument on the Solar Orbiter is used to analyze particles from the comet's dust tail?

• Radio and Plasma Waves Instrument

• Solar Wind Plasma Analyzer

• Ultraviolet Imager

• Magnetometer