NASA spots comet reversing its spin in a first for science

"Astronomers caught a comet in the act of reversing its spin, a never-before-seen behavior, after it passed around the sun in 2017. Data indicated that Comet 41P was spinning three times slower than two months prior, before it began to spin faster again."

"The comet likely slowed to almost a stop before volatile activity at its surface forced it to spin in the opposite direction. This activity likely took the form of outgassing jets as the comet approached the sun."

"Jets of gas streaming off the surface can act like small thrusters. If those jets are unevenly distributed, they can dramatically change how a comet rotates, potentially flipping its direction of rotation."

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak reversing its spin after passing the sun in 2017. Initially, the comet's spin slowed significantly, nearly stopping, before it began to spin faster in the opposite direction. This unusual behavior is attributed to outgassing jets caused by the sun's heat, which acted like thrusters. The uneven distribution of these jets can dramatically alter the rotation of small comets, leading to a reversal in their spin direction.

Read at www.scientificamerican.com