Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Apr 1982
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1982s%26t....63..366g&link_type=abstract
Sky and Telescope, vol. 63, Apr. 1982, p. 366, 367.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Astrometry, Comets, Jupiter (Planet), Orbital Elements, Planet Ephemerides, Astronomical Spectroscopy, Coma, Comet Nuclei, Continuous Spectra, Eccentric Orbits, Hydrogen Clouds, Oort Cloud, Refracting Telescopes, Solar System
Scientific paper
A 16th-magnitude comet has been observed that is remarkable in that it is less than two degrees from Jupiter. The comet called Comet Bowell (1980b) moves in an essentially parabolic orbit well beyond Jupiter but at an angle of less than two degrees to the ecliptic, by far the lowest on record. Its heliocentric distance at discovery was the second greatest on record. The comet's close pass by Jupiter increased its orbital eccentricity to 1.06. It is almost certainly making its first passage through the inner solar system from the Oort cloud, which contains upward of a trillion comets. Physically, the comet displays a pure continuous spectrum indicating that its light is due entirely to solid particles not smaller than about 350 microns. The slow rate of coma expansion suggests that observed coma particles were released from the nucleus relatively long ago. This seems contrary to the standard concept that a cometary nucleus sublimates as it nears the sun.
Green Daniel W. E.
Marsden Brian G.
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