Properties of the nuclei and comae of 13 ecliptic comets from Hubble Space Telescope snapshot observations

Details Properties of the nuclei and comae of 13 ecliptic comets from Hubble Space Telescope snapshot observations Properties of the nuclei and comae of 13 ecliptic comets from Hubble Space Telescope snapshot observations

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009a%26a...508.1045l&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 508, Issue 2, 2009, pp.1045-1056

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

9

Comets: General, Methods: Data Analysis, Techniques: Photometric, Techniques: Image Processing, Telescopes, Solar System: General

Scientific paper

Context: Knowledge of the size distribution of cometary nuclei and, more generally, of their physical properties is important for constraining models of the formation and evolution of the Solar System. Aims: We report on our on-going effort to determine the ensemble properties of comets based on our success in detecting the nuclei of active comets with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Methods: During cycle 8 (July 1999 to June 2000), we observed 13 ecliptic comets with the planetary camera 2 through at least two filters (V and R) and up to four (B, V, R, I) for the brightest ones. The ~30 min of HST observational time devoted to each comet did not permit a proper determination of light curves, so our “snapshot” observations yield effective radii, not shapes. Results: Assuming spherical nuclei with a geometric albedo of 0.04 for the R band (except 0.024 for 10P/Tempel 2, as independently measured) and a phase law of 0.04 mag/deg, we obtained the following effective radii: 4P/Faye: 1.77 km, 10P/Tempel 2: 5.98 km, 17P/Holmes: 1.71 km, 37P/Forbes: 0.81 km 44P/Reinmuth 2: 1.61 km, 50P/Arend: 0.95 km, 59P/Kearns-Kwee: 0.79 km, 63P/Wild 1: 1.46 km, 71P/Clark: 0.68 km, 84P/Giclas: 0.90 km, 106P/Schuster: 0.94 km, 112P/Urata-Niijima: 0.90 km, 114P/Wiseman-Skiff: 0.78 km. In our present sample, eight out of thirteen nuclei have sub-kilometer radii. The average color of the observed nuclei is (V-R) = 0.52±0.04, which is significantly redder than the Sun. We determined the dust activity parameter Afρ of their coma in the R band, and estimated the dust production rates. The average reflectivity gradient of the dust comae of six comets is S' [670,792 nm] = 15.2±2.3% per kÅ.
Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble space telescope, obtained at Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy under NASA contract NAS 5-26555.

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