Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 1982
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1982aj.....87..161s&link_type=abstract
Astronomical Journal, vol. 87, Jan. 1982, p. 161-169.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
37
Comet Heads, Comet Tails, Particle Mass, Particle Motion, Particle Size Distribution, Astronomical Photography, Cosmic Dust, Ejecta, Oort Cloud, Particle Acceleration, Perihelions, Comets, Bowell (1980B) Comet, Particles, Ejecta, Comet Tails, Comae, Molecules, Emissions, Spectrum, Dust, Photometry, Expansion, Velocity, Gases, Comet Nuclei, Distance, Angular Momentum, Mass, Composition, Temperatures, Cosmic Rays, Ultraviolet, Wavelengths, Irradiation, Surface, Oort Cloud, Gravity Fields, Observations, Analys
Scientific paper
The absence of molecular emissions in the spectrum of Comet Bowell, a nearly constant amount of dust in its coma, a slow expansion rate of the coma and implied low particle velocities, a tail width that does not increase with increasing distance from the nucleus, the absence of tail particles less than 0.5 mm in diameter, and the development of an elongated coma, lead to the conclusion that the solid particles in the coma and tail are not recent ejecta, and that the comet has probably been dormant. It is speculated that 10 to the 13th g of observed coma and tail particles is either a leftover pristine material that has never contacted the nucleus surface, or a product of erratic activity associated with chemical instability, at temperatures below 40 K, stimulated by cosmic ray and/or UV irradiation of the surface layer during the comet's Oort cloud stay. It remains possible that the comet may temporarily become active near perihelion.
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