Cometary atmosphere (gas and dust)

You are here: Homepage > Search

Cometary atmosphere (gas and dust)

Moroz, V.I.

Abstract There is important progress now in the identifications and measurements of primary (parent) molecules in the inner coma of Comet Halley. H2O, CO2 and CO are definitely in the list, CH and some complicate organic molecules are suspected. Gas production rate for water vapor is $Q H 2 O ⋍ 10$ ³⁰ s⁻¹. The bulk of data doesn't contradict to the Whipple model of nucleus (with clathrate modification). Pronounced spatial structure of gaseous flow in the coma was observed, but in general measured properties of neutral gas in the coma of Comet Halley are not very different from predicted. Situation for dust is different. In situ dust measurements show that size spectrum and optical properties of particles in coma are substantively declining from predicted on the base of groundbased photometry. However there are discrepancies between Vega and Giotto dust counter data. Dust in the inner coma didn't prevent the succesful imaging of nucleus by TV on Vega 1 and 2.