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Pre- and postperihelion abundances of gas and dust in comet Halley.

Womack, Maria and Lutz, Barry L. and Wagner, R. Mark. (1994) Pre- and postperihelion abundances of gas and dust in comet Halley. Astrophysical Journal, 433 (2). pp. 886-94. ISSN 1538-4357

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Publisher’s or external URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/174697

Abstract

Photometrically calibrated spectra of comet P/Halley (1986 III) were recorded between 1985 Sept. 12-1986 June 10 using the Ohio State University Image Dissector Scanner on the Perkins 72 in. telescope at the Lowell Observatory. Column densities of CN, C3, CH, C2, and NH2 were calcd. from measured fluxes in these spectra, and mol. scale lengths were deduced from the radial distribution of CN, C3, C2, and NH2. Prodn. rates were computed using the new scale lengths and a Haser model anal. Continuum emission at 4260 Å was used to derive gas-to-dust ratios. The data indicate than comet Halley was ∼2-5 times more abundant in gas and dust at postperihelion than preperihelion. On 1986 June 8 the authors obsd. the onset of a cometary outburst which appeared very strong in dust prodn. The gas-to-dust ratios appeared to be subject to changes as a result of short-term outbursts but otherwise did not exhibit any systematic dependence on heliocentric distance. Reflectivity gradients of the continuum were also measured from the spectra. While most of the continua were red, blue continua were also obsd. which may be correlated with dust outbursts. [on SciFinder(R)]

Item Type: Article
Publisher’s Statement: © 1994 The American Astrophysics Society. Provided by the NASA Astrophysics Data System.
ID number or DOI: 10.1086/174697
Keywords: comets, individual (halley); molecular processes; nh2; p/halley
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status: Faculty/Staff
Department/Unit: College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Science > Physics and Astronomy
Date Deposited: 30 Sep 2015 18:56
URI: http://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/446

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