Other
Scientific paper
Sep 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.1501k&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #15.01
Other
Scientific paper
Comet Hale-Bopp offered us an unprecedented opportunity to observe a large, bright comet in great detail. Since its 1997 perihelion, continued observations have let us observe how its activity has changed over time. Here we present 2005 and 2008 Spitzer Space Telescope observations of Hale-Bopp that show a coma and tail, which is uncommon given its heliocentric distance -- 21.6 AU in 2005 and 27.2 AU in 2008. It is rare to see comets with such extended emission this far from the Sun. The data for this project were obtained with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer using the 24 micron channel. We are modeling Hale-Bopp's morphology in the Spitzer images to understand the nature of the dust coma and tail. To do this we will use a Monte Carlo dynamical model created by one of our team members[1] that will yield the dust production rate, dust emission history, dust grain sizes, and dust grain speeds. Some questions which will be answered include: How old is the dust? Is it comprised of large, old grains or small, newer grains? What is its likely composition? How does it differ from dust released near perihelion or pre-perihelion? Are the dust properties determined by the comet's activity mechanism? By answering these and other fundamental questions, we hope to gain insight into the nature of Hale-Bopp's behavior and evolution. Our overarching goal is to use Hale-Bopp and other distant, active comets to understand cometary activity and the structure of cometary nuclei, which is related to icy planetesimal formation and evolution.
Support for this work was provided by NASA through an award issued by the Spitzer Science Center via JPL/Caltech. Reference: [1] Kelley, M.S., et al., Icarus 193, 572
Fernandez Yan R.
Kelley Michael S.
Kramer Emily A.
Woodney Laura
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