Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2007-03-11
NewAstron.12:523-532,2007
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
19 pages, 10 figures
Scientific paper
10.1016/j.newast.2007.03.002
A 3-D numerical model of comet nuclei is presented. An implicit numerical scheme was developed for the thermal evolution of a spherical nucleus composed of a mixture of ice and dust. The model was tested against analytical solutions, simplified numerical solutions, and 1-D thermal evolution codes. The 3-D code was applied to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko; surface temperature maps and the internal thermal structure was obtained as function of depth, longitude and hour angle. The effect of the spin axis tilt on the surface temperature distribution was studied in detail. It was found that for small tilt angles, relatively low temperatures may prevail on near-pole areas, despite lateral heat conduction. A high-resolution run for a comet model of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with low tilt angle, allowing for crystallization of amorphous ice, showed that the amorphous/crystalline ice boundary varies significantly with depth as a function of cometary latitude.
Prialnik Dina
Rosenberg Eric D.
No associations
LandOfFree
A fully 3-dimensional thermal model of a comet nucleus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with A fully 3-dimensional thermal model of a comet nucleus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and A fully 3-dimensional thermal model of a comet nucleus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-45488