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Is CO2 responsible for the outbursts of comet Halley?

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Abstract

Outbursts are thought to originate from the nucleus of comet Halley; cameras on the Vega and Giotto spacecraft have recorded the images of jets1,2, and rapid fluctuations are seen in the visible light curve, detected, for example, by the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite during the time the spacecraft were making their observations3. This activity does not appear to be limited to when the comet is near perihelion, but has been reported for heliocentric distances >4.6AU pre-perihelion4. The outbursts are probably triggered by the heating of relatively volatile material within the ice. We report here spectroscopic data from the IUE showing a strong correlation between a visible outburst in the near-nucleus region on 18.8 March 1986 and the sudden appearance of a large column abundance of CO+2 ions in the tail. These data suggest that CO2 may play a significant role in the outburst process. This outburst may have been the source of the detached clumps of CO+ emission recorded by ground-based observers on 19 and 20 March 19865,6

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 21218, USA

    P. D. Feldman, H. A. Weaver & T. N. Woods

  2. Astronomy Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA

    M. F. A'Hearn

  3. Observatoire de Besançon, 25000, Besançon, France

    M. C. Festou & L. A. McFadden

Authors
  1. P. D. Feldman
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  2. M. F. A'Hearn
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  3. M. C. Festou
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  4. L. A. McFadden
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  5. H. A. Weaver
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  6. T. N. Woods
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Feldman, P., A'Hearn, M., Festou, M. et al. Is CO2 responsible for the outbursts of comet Halley?. Nature 324, 433–436 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/324433a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/324433a0

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