On the nature and origin of comets and their contribution to planets

Details On the nature and origin of comets and their contribution to planets On the nature and origin of comets and their contribution to planets

Oct 1978

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1978m%26p....19..305w&link_type=abstract

(Conference on Protostars and Planets, Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 3-7, 1978.) Moon and the Planets, vol. 19, Oct. 1978, p. 305-315. NAS

Other

6

Comet Nuclei, Comets, Cosmology, Ice Formation, Rotating Bodies, Granular Materials, Low Temperature Environments, Relaxation Time, Solar System, Space Density

Scientific paper

The rotation of cometary nuclei and certain properties of cometary ices are discussed. Observations show that comets were formed at extremely low temperatures and probably contain amorphous ices that give off exothermal energy on mild heating. While a large comet has a slow rotation period, many smaller typical comets appear to be rotating rapidly, indicating that encounters among them were frequent during formation. An estimate for the product of the relaxation time for encounters and the mean space density near the end of comet formation is presented, and a time scale of approximately 1,000,000 yr for comet accumulation is suggested. Some probable and possible contribution of comets to the solar system are summarized.

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