Comet 9P/Tempel 1 Surface Temperature Maps from Deep Impact Mission

Three infrared thermal scans of comet 9P/Tempel 1's surface were acquired by the Deep Impact spacecraft's High Resolution Infrared Spectrometer on 4 July 2005, approximately 19, 12, and 5 minutes before impact. The data set includes derived temperature maps ranging from 272K to 336K with an uncertainty of +/- 7K, a high-resolution 120 m/pixel composite map, and associated incidence and emission angle maps. It was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Use Cases

• Modeling comet surface thermal inertia based on derived temperature maps.
• Analyzing pre-impact surface conditions using the high-resolution 120 m/pixel thermal composite.
• Studying the relationship between temperature and surface geometry using the included incidence and emission angle maps.
• Validating or refining shape models of Tempel 1 using the table of temperatures assigned to illuminated plates.

Strengths

• Includes spatially resolved thermal maps from three distinct time points before a significant celestial event.
• Temperature data has a defined precision of +/- 7K.
• Provides a high-resolution composite map at 120 meters per pixel.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data acquired by the Deep Impact High Resolution Infrared Spectrometer (HR II).

Time Range

4 July 2005

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 16:34:21.561276; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Comet 9P/Tempel 1