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Bow shock analysis at comets Halley and Grigg-Skjellerup

Coates, A. J.; Neubauer, F. M.; Mazelle, C.

The interaction of an active comet with the solar wind is effected by the pickup of heavy cometary ions over extended regions of space. It was predicted before any spacecraft encounters with comets that a bow shock would form at a critical point in the mass-loaded flow. Here we present an analysis of the results from Giotto's encounters of comets …