The black heart of Comet Halley

Physics

Scientific paper

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Comet Nuclei, Cometary Atmospheres, Halley'S Comet, Periodic Variations, Solar System, Star Formation, Comets, Halley, Comet Nuclei, Diagrams, Structure, Models, Composition, Physical Properties, Spacecraft Observations, Popular, Size, Surface, Shape, Motion, Jetting, Density, Mass, Porosity, Formation, Period, Temperature, Rotation, Precession, Photometry

Scientific paper

The flotilla of spacecraft which intercepted Comet Halley provided data that supported earlier models of its composition being that of proto-solar material. The nucleus is about 8 x 16 km in size and covered with a carbon soot which makes it darker than coal. Jets of material were depleting the nucleus of about 30 tons of mass per second when the spacecraft arrived, indicating a porous configuration for the 500 cu km object. A similarity is drawn between the comet's density and composition with that of a dirty snowdrift. The object may be both spinning and precessing at a rate which would account for measurements of brightness variations with periods of 2.2 and 7.4 days.

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