Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Nov 1988
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1988a%26a...206..136r&link_type=abstract
Astronomy and Astrophysics (ISSN 0004-6361), vol. 206, no. 1, Nov. 1988, p. 136-142.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
7
Comet Tails, Kohoutek Comet, Perihelions, Brightness Distribution, Coronagraphs, Kepler Laws, Temporal Distribution
Scientific paper
The anomalous tail of comet Kohoutek (1973 XII) observed by the White Light Coronagraph on board Skylab at the end of December 1973 is interpreted based on a recently developed model. The unique observations show an extended anomalous dust tail of more than 2 Gm in length pointing apparently towards the sun. The appearance of the tail changed dramatically within days. For two days it looked like a sharp spike. Brightness profiles across this spike have been calculated for a variety of dust grain size distributions and dust production rates using the method of Richter and Keller (1987). It is shown that the effect of focussing of the dust particles along their nodal lines is important for the formation of the observed sharp spike and its variation with time. A satisfactory interpretation of the observations is found for a dust production rate proportional to r-2 and mass distribution h(m) ∝ m-1.8 where r is the heliocentric distance.
Richter Katrin
Uwe Keller Horst
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