The distribution of short-period comet magnitudes

Details The distribution of short-period comet magnitudes The distribution of short-period comet magnitudes

Jul 1987

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1987em%26p...38..263d&link_type=abstract

Earth, Moon, and Planets (ISSN 0167-9295), vol. 38, July 1987, p. 263-272.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

3

Astrometry, Comets, Brightness, Magnitude, Mass Distribution, Maximum Likelihood Estimates

Scientific paper

The magnitude distribution of short-period comets (with orbital periods P not greater than 15 yr) was analyzed using a maximum likelihood method. The brightness (magnitude) index for the comets with the value of H(10) not greater than 11 mag was estimated to be about 0.62. It was clear that many faint comets with H(10) greater than 11 mag remain undetected or have possibly been destroyed at an earlier stage. Comets satisfying the combined criteria of P not greater than 15 yr, H(10) not greater than 11 mag, and q less than 1.5 AU are considered to represent the most complete set of comets available. The brightness index of this sample was estimated to be 0.69 + or - 0.14. This translates into a mass distribution index of 1.69 + or - 0.14, which indicates that most of the mass is contained in a few of the larger comets, rather than spread throughout the smaller ones, pointing to particle accretion as the most likely mode of formation.

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