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Catastrophic disruptions as the origin of bilobate comets

Richardson, Derek C.; Jutzi, Martin; Michel, Patrick +3 more

Several comets observed at close range have bilobate shapes¹, including comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G), which was imaged by the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission^2,3. Bilobate comets are thought to be primordial because they are rich in supervolatiles (for example, N₂ and CO) and have a low bulk den…

Coma morphology of comet 67P controlled by insolation over irregular nucleus

Jorda, L.; Lamy, P. L.; Lara, L. M. +42 more

While the structural complexity of cometary comae is already recognizable from telescopic observations¹, the innermost region, within a few radii of the nucleus, was not resolved until spacecraft exploration became a reality^2,3. The dust coma displays jet-like features of enhanced brightness superposed on a diffuse background…