Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Mar 1986
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1986natur.320..242w&link_type=abstract
Nature (ISSN 0028-0836), vol. 320, March 20, 1986, p. 242-244. NASA-supported research.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
91
Agglomeration, Astronomical Models, Comet Nuclei, Cosmic Dust, Evolution (Development), Ice, Iras-Araki-Alcock Comet, Particle Collisions, Comets, Comet Nuclei, Models, Composition, Theoretical Studies, Size, Fragments, Satellite Observations, Spacecraft Observations, Diagrams, Radar Methods, Iras, Infrared Astronomy Satellite, Iras-Araki-Alcock, Infrared, Holmes, Halley, Gravity Effects, Particles, Splitting, Formation, Accretion, History, Collisions
Scientific paper
Whipple's icy conglomerate model for the cometary nucleus has had considerable sucess in explaining a variety of cometary phenomena such as gas production rates and nongravitational forces. However, as discussed here, both observational evidence and theoretical considerations suggest that the cometary nucleus may not be a well-consolidated single body, but may instead be a loosely bound agglomeration of smaller fragments, weakly bonded and subject to occasional or even frequent disruptive events. The proposed model is analogous to the 'rubble pile' model suggested for the larger main-belt asteroids, although the larger cometary fragments are expected to be primordial condensations rather than collisionally derived debris as in the asteroid case. The concept of cometary nuclei as primordial rubble piles is proposed as a modification of the basic Whipple model, not as a replacement for it.
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