Mass estimates of long-period comets coming close to the Sun

Details Mass estimates of long-period comets coming close to the Sun Mass estimates of long-period comets coming close to the Sun

Oct 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011epsc.conf..152f&link_type=abstract

EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2011, held 2-7 October 2011 in Nantes, France. http://meetings.copernicus.org/epsc-dps2011, p.152

Physics

Scientific paper

We have estimated the masses of a set of Long-Period Comets (LPCs) (orbital periods P > 103 yr) with perihelion distances q < 1.3 AU and computed nongravitational parameters. We find masses in the range [0.5 10]×1012 kg, which correspond to diameters D in the range [1.4 3.6] km for an assumed bulk density of 0.4 g cm-3. Even though large error bars may be attached to these estimates, for the time being we consider this as the first attempt to derive masses of a sample of LPCs in a consistent way. We have next studied the relationship between diameters and absolute total visual magnitudes H, and shown that it can be expressed by the lineal relation log10 D(km) = 1.2 - 0.13H. In physical terms, this relation implies that the total comet brightness (nucleus + coma) goes as D3. We finally discuss our results in broader terms, as regards the comet size distribution, and the minimun mass or size of an active comet.

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