Physics
Scientific paper
Jul 2000
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000hst..prop.8699l&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #8699
Physics
Hst Proposal Id #8699 Solar System
Scientific paper
Following our recent success in detecting and characterizing eight cometary nuclei with the HST and our approved program to detect 14 nuclei currently underway in cycle 8, we propose a major program to determine the basic physical properties of a large fraction of the population of short-period comets. By acquiring statistically significant data, we can study the origin of this family of comets and test the hypothesis that they are collisional fragments from the Kuiper Belt Objects. Our technique takes advantage of the high resolution of the PC2 to clearly distinguish the nuclei from the surrounding comae provided they come within 2.75 AU from Earth. Cycle 9 is exceptionally favorable as 14 short-period comets meet this criterion. By observing each nucleus eight different times, we will construct a light curve from which we can derive the shape and rotation period. Observations will be made through several filters {some combination of U, B, V, R, I depending on the brightness} to obtain unique color information. If appropriate, corrections will be applied to the measured sizes to remove the effect of erosion and retrieve the ``original'' size distribution function. The results on the size, shape, rotation period, and color to be obtained during this survey will significantly contribute to the database of the physical properties of cometary nuclei, nearly doubling the amount of reliable information currently available.
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