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On the Importance of Dust in Cometary Nuclei

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Book cover Worlds in Interaction: Small Bodies and Planets of the Solar System

Abstract

The icy conglomerate model introduced by Whipple more than 40 years ago has been widely accepted in cometary science because it is able to describe numerous cometary phenomena. In this model comets are described as a conglomerate of ices and dust where the ices represent the major component. However, some recent observations seem to favour dust rich comets. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the observational facts supporting the dominance of refractories in comets and to discuss the consequences of a dust dominated nucleus for cometary physics.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Rudower Chaussee 5, 12489, Berlin, Germany

    E. K. Kührt

  2. Max-Planck-Institut für Aeronomie, 31191, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

    H. U. Keller

Authors
  1. E. K. Kührt
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  2. H. U. Keller
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Uppsala University, Sweden

    H. Rickman

  2. Tuorla Observatory, Finland

    M. J. Valtonen

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© 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Kührt, E.K., Keller, H.U. (1996). On the Importance of Dust in Cometary Nuclei. In: Rickman, H., Valtonen, M.J. (eds) Worlds in Interaction: Small Bodies and Planets of the Solar System. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0209-1_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0209-1_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6578-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0209-1

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