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Remote infrared observations of parent volatiles in comets: A window on the early solar system

Dello Russo, N.; Mumma, M. J.; DiSanti, M. A. +3 more

Organic volatiles and water in Oort Cloud comets were investigated at infrared wavelengths. The detected species include H ₂O, CO, CH ₃OH, CH ₄, C ₂H ₂, C ₂H ₆, OCS, HCN, NH ₃, and H ₂CO. Several daughter fragments (CN, OH, NH ₂, etc.) are…

Imaging polarimetry of cometary dust: different comets and phase angles

Levasseur-Regourd, A. C.; Hadamcik, E.

Polarimetric observations of the light scattered by dust in cometary comae have been carried out at Pic-du-Midi Observatory and at Haute-Provence Observatory (France) between 1990 and 2001. The whole coma polarization can easily be inferred from integration of the fluxes on the aperture. Maps are obtained for seven comets by CCD imaging polarimetr…

Comparative study of the dust emission of 19P/Borrelly (Deep space 1) and 1P/Halley

Soderblom, L. A.; Thomas, N.; Ho, T. M. +2 more

Images obtained by the Miniature Integrated Camera and Imaging Spectrometer (MICAS) experiment onboard the Deep Space 1 spacecraft which encountered comet 19P/Borrelly on September 22nd 2001 show a dust coma dominated by jets. In particular a major collimated dust jet on the sunward side of the nucleus was observed. Our approach to analyse these f…

Fine structure of the diamagnetic cavity boundary in comet Halley

Neubauer, F. M.; Gombosi, T. I.; Israelevich, P. L. +2 more

We calculated the electric current density in the diamagnetic cavity boundary layer (DCBL) using magnetic field data obtained during the Giotto mission to comet Halley. This current possesses both the component perpendicular to the local magnetic field and the parallel component. The perpendicular current is responsible for the screening of the di…