Comet Hale-Bopp: Still active at 27 AU?

Details Comet Hale-Bopp: Still active at 27 AU? Comet Hale-Bopp: Still active at 27 AU?

Aug 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008noao.prop..484w&link_type=abstract

NOAO Proposal ID #2008B-0484

Physics

Scientific paper

Comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp (hereafter HB) was one of the most active comets of all time when it passed perihelion in April 1997. Now as the comet approaches a heliocentric distance (r) of 27 AU it is remarkably still observable, providing an utterly unique chance to study a comet at extremely high heliocentric distance. Our scientific goals are to use SOAR observations in concert with Spitzer Space telescope (SST) observations to (A) measure HB's current activity level and dust production rate, (B) constrain the basic properties of HB's nucleus, and (C) use these results in conjunction with earlier measurements of gas and dust production rates to understand the thermal structure of the ice and the flow of energy through the nucleus. The basic question we wish to answer is: Why is HB so active so far from the Sun?

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