Today we're going to cook a comet.
For this recipe you'll need one comet, as large as you can find.
Make sure it's nicely layered with ice and various other frozen compunds.
Set it on track to head past our sun, and
slowly turn the heat up as it apporaches. Cook the outter layer of
the comet in the sun's radiation. The material on the
comet's surface will go directly from solid to gas. We call this process
sublimation. The process of sublimation will help
transfer the sun's energy away from the comet's crust, keeping it cool.
Sublimate the water ice into water vapor, this will
release trapped dust to trail off the comet. Notice how the comet
forms a tail. Add ultraviolet light to the dust.
This will help make our comet bright. The more dust our
comet has, the brighter it will appear. Allow the vapor
to escape through the comet's crust. These jets may slightly
jostle it or cause it to rotate. Your comet will not
cook evenly. The side facing the sun will sublimate faster than the other
side. Bring the comet closer to the sun and the tail will
disappear. Materials are sublimating so quickly now, the
vapors exist just long enough to appear on the surface. The sun's
gravity will deform the comet into an oblong shape.
Observe what materials continue to sublimate. This will give you
clues about the comet's composition, density, and mass.
Hopefully your comet is strong enough not to fall apart. If it survives
the sun's gravity and radiation, maybe one day it will visit us again.
(music)
(beeping)