Gas and dust in some recent periodic comets.
Abstract
Results are presented for narrow-band photometry of four recent periodic comets. The observed fluxes are used to estimate carbon radical production rates, gas-to-dust ratios, and the colors of the dust grains. It is found that in most respects the periodic comets exhibit the same range of properties typical of parabolic comets. Comet P/Chernykh is one of the dustiest comets on record, and its dust is physically different from that of the other comets considered. A correlation between the gas-to-dust ratio and the color of the grains is tentatively proposed. The need for homogeneous data on a large number of comets is emphasized.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- April 1979
- DOI:
- 10.1086/112452
- Bibcode:
- 1979AJ.....84..570A
- Keywords:
-
- Astronomical Photometry;
- Carbon;
- Comets;
- Cosmic Dust;
- Cosmic Gases;
- Abundance;
- Grigg-Skjellerup Comet;
- Size Determination;
- GASES;
- DUST;
- COMETS;
- PHOTOMETRY;
- FLUX;
- CHERNYKH;
- COMET;
- CARBON;
- D'ARREST;
- GRIGG-SKJELLERUP;
- ENCKE;
- COLORS;
- CYANOGEN RADICAL;
- CARBON RADICAL;
- PERIODIC COMETS;
- Astrophysics; Comets;
- Colors:Periodic Comets;
- Dust:Periodic Comets;
- Gas-to-Dust Ratio:Periodic Comets;
- Periodic Comets:Photometry