Other
Scientific paper
Sep 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.0602w&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #06.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.490
Other
15
Scientific paper
Following reports of dramatic temporal variability of the B and G fragments of 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 (73P/SW3) in early April 2006, our team was awarded Director's Discretionary time on the Hubble Space Telescope to investigate the continuing disintegration of the nuclei. We observed the B fragment three different times (UT 2006 April 18.974, 19.773, and 20.773) and discovered a swarm of sub-fragments trailing behind the principal nucleus, including some that were probably released coincident with the brightness outbursts reported by ground-based observers during the first few days of April. The single observation of the G fragment (UT 2006 April 18.574) also showed a nearby swarm of sub-fragments, including some that were probably released just a few days prior to the Hubble observations. For both the B and G fragments, the Hubble images provide information on the fragmentation history of both nuclei during the preceding month, if not earlier. In contrast, a single Hubble observation of the C fragment during this same period (UT 2006 April 18.642) did not reveal any new sub-fragments, consistent with the rather steady activity observed for the C fragment throughout early-April by both ground-based facilities and another Hubble program (Lamy et al.). We examine in detail the morphology and kinematics of the continuing disintegration of the B and G fragments and compare the Hubble results to those obtained from earlier and later observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the nucleus disruption process.
Financial support for this work was provided by NASA through grant GO-10992 from the STScI.
Lamy Philippe
Lisse Carey Michael
Mutchler Max J.
Reach William T.
Toth Ignác
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