By Irene Klot CAPE CANAVERAL (Reuters) – A comet being studied by the European probe Rosetta has huge potholes on its surface that are nearly as large enough to house the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, according to research published on Wednesday. Scientists suspect that well-similar to those found on Earth were formed after the collapse of accumulated material in the comet’s surface, according to the study published in the journal Nature. The cavities of the comet 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which Rosetta has been orbiting since August, have about 200 meters in diameter and 180 meters deep. comparison, the Great Pyramid of Giza is 230 meters in diameter and 139 meters high. It is hoped that the discovery will help scientists improve their understanding of how comets formed and evolved. “Find the tunnels was a total surprise,” said space physicist Paul Weissman of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA spacecraft in California. It is believed that comets were formed as 67P from much smaller bodies composed of rock, organic matter and ice. Gravity tends to attract these fragments together slowly, leaving many open spaces on its surface. It is not clear why the tunnels were formed, but the process could be related to the heat that comets are exposed as they approach the sun. Continue …
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