scholarly journals Near-perihelion activity of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. A first attempt of non-static analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (3) ◽  
pp. 3310-3316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Skorov ◽  
H U Keller ◽  
S Mottola ◽  
P Hartogh
Keyword(s):  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Active Area ◽  
Water Production ◽  
South Pole ◽  
Free Layer ◽  
Dust Layer ◽  
Polar Day ◽  
Inert Dust ◽  
Transient Thermal ◽  
Comet 67P

ABSTRACT The observed rate of water production of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko near its perihelion can be approximated by a very steep power function of the heliocentric distance. Widely used thermophysical models based on a static dust layer on top of the icy/refractory matrix are poorly consistent with these observations. We analyse published model results and demonstrate that thermophysical models with a uniform and static ice free layer do not reproduce the observed steep water production rates of 67P near perihelion. Based on transient thermal modeling we conclude that the accelerated gas activity can be explained assuming that the active area fraction near the south pole is increased. The deeper penetration of the heat wave during polar day (no sunset) can activate sublimation through thicker inert dust layers. This can also lead to removal of thicker dust layers and consequently to an expansion of the active area.

scholarly journals Plasma properties of suprathermal electrons near comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with Rosetta

2019 ◽  
Vol 630 ◽  
pp. A42 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Myllys ◽  
P. Henri ◽  
M. Galand ◽  
K. L. Heritier ◽  
N. Gilet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Radial Distance ◽  
Hot Electron ◽  
Plasma Properties ◽  
Measured Velocity ◽  
Electron Population ◽  
Suprathermal Electrons ◽  
Comet 67P ◽  
Cometary Activity

Context. The Rosetta spacecraft escorted comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from 2014 to September 2016. The mission provided in situ observations of the cometary plasma during different phases of the cometary activity, which enabled us to better understand its evolution as a function of heliocentric distance. Aims. In this study, different electron populations, called warm and hot, observed by the Ion and Electron Sensor (IES) of the Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC) are investigated near the comet during the escorting phase of the Rosetta mission. Methods. The estimates for the suprathermal electron densities and temperatures were extracted using IES electron data by fitting a double-kappa function to the measured velocity distributions. The fitting results were validated using observations from other RPC instruments. We give upgraded estimates for the warm and hot population densities compared to values previously shown in literature. Results. The fitted density and temperature estimates for both electron populations seen by IES are expressed as a function of heliocentric distance to study their evolution with the cometary activity. In addition, we studied the dependence between the electron properties and cometocentric distance. Conclusions. We observed that when the neutral outgassing rate of the nucleus is high (i.e., near perihelion) the suprathermal electrons are well characterized by a double-kappa distribution. In addition, warm and hot populations show a significant dependence with the heliocentric distance. The populations become clearly denser near perihelion while their temperatures are observed to remain almost constant. Moreover, the warm electron population density is shown to be strongly dependent on the radial distance from the comet. Finally, based on our results we reject the hypothesis that hot electron population seen by IES consists of solely suprathermal (halo) solar wind electrons, while we suggest that the hot electron population mainly consists of solar wind thermal electrons that have undergone acceleration near the comet.

scholarly journals Narrow-band photometry of Long Period Comets with TRAPPIST telescopes in 2019-2020

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youssef Moulane ◽  
Emmanuel Jehin ◽  
Francisco José Pozuelos ◽  
Jean Manfroid ◽  
Zouhair Benkhaldoun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Production Rate ◽  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Narrow Band ◽  
Maximum Activity ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Dust Production ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Water Production Rate

<p>Long Period Comets (LPCs) have orbital periods longer than 200 years, perturbed from their resting place in the Oort cloud. Such gravitational influences may send these icy bodies on a path towards the center of the Solar system in highly elliptical orbits. In this work, we present the activity and composition evolution of several LPCs observed with both TRAPPIST telescopes (TS and TN) during the period of 2019-2020. These comets include: C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS), C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto), C/2018 W2 (Africano), and disintegrated comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS). We monitored the OH, NH, CN, C<sub>2</sub> and C<sub>3</sub> production rates evolution and their chemical mixing ratios with respect to their distances to the Sun as well as the dust production rate proxy (A(0)fp) during the journey of these comets into the inner Solar system.</p> <p><strong>C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)</strong> is a very bright comet which was discovered on October 2, 2017 when it was 9.20 au from the Sun. We started observing this comet with TS at the beginning of August 2019 when it was at 3.70 au. The comet made the closest approach to the Earth on December 28, 2019 at a distance of 1.52 au and it passed the perihelion on May 4, 2020 at 1.61 au. The water production rate of the comet reached a maximum of (4,27±0,12)10<sup>28 </sup>molecules/s and its dust production rate (A(0)fp(RC)) also reached the peak of 5110±25 cm on January 26, 2020, when the comet was at 2.08 au from the Sun (-100 days pre-perihelion). At the time of writing, we still monitoring the activity of the comet with TN at heliocentric distance of 1.70 au. Our observations show that C/2017 T2 is a normal LPC.</p> <p><strong>C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto)</strong> is a nearly parabolic comet with a retrograde orbit discovered on December 18, 2018 by Japanese amateur astronomer Masayuki Iwamoto. We monitored the activity and composition of Iwamoto with both TN and TS telescopes from January to March 2019. The comet reached its maximum activity on January 29, 2019 when it was at 1.29 au from the Sun (-8 days pre-perihelion) with Q(H<sub>2</sub>O)=(1,68±0,05)10<sup>28 </sup>molecules/s and A(0)fp(RC)= 92±5 cm. These measurements show that it was a dust-poor comet compared to the typical LPCs.</p> <p><strong>C/2018 W2 (Africano) </strong>was discovered on November 27, 2018 at Mount Lemmon Survey with a visual magnitude of 20. The comet reached its perihelion on September 6, 2019 when it was at 1.45 au from the Sun. We monitored the comet from July 2019 (r<sub>h</sub>=1.71 au) to January 2020 (r<sub>h</sub>=2.18 au) with both TN and TS telescopes. The comet reached its maximum activity on September 21, 15 days post-perihelion (r<sub>h</sub>=1.47 au) with Q(H<sub>2</sub>O)=(0,40±0,03)10<sup>28 </sup>molecules/s.</p> <p><strong>C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)</strong> is a comet with a nearly parabolic orbit discovered on December 18, 2019 by the ATLAS survey. We started to follow its activity and composition with broad- and narrow-band filters with the TN telescope on February 22, 2019 when it was at 1.32 au from the Sun until May 3, 2020 when the comet was at a heliocentric distance of 0.90 au inbound. The comet activity reached a maximum on March 22 (r<sub>h</sub>=1.65 au) 70 days before perihelion. At that time, the water-production rate reached (1,53±0,04)10<sup>28 </sup>molecules/s and the A(0)fp reached (1096±14) cm in the red filter. After that, the comet began to fade and disintegrated into several fragments.</p>

scholarly journals Interpretation of heliocentric water production rates of comets

2019 ◽  
Vol 623 ◽  
pp. A120 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Marshall ◽  
L. Rezac ◽  
P. Hartogh ◽  
Y. Zhao ◽  
N. Attree
Keyword(s):  
Cross Section ◽  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Rotation Axis ◽  
Spin Axis ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Production Rates ◽  
Axis Orientation ◽  
Nucleus Shape ◽  
Basic Parameters ◽  
Water Production Rate

Aims. We investigate the influence of three basic factors on water production rate as a function of heliocentric distance: nucleus shape, the spin axis orientation, and the distribution of activity on a comet’s surface. Methods. We used a basic water sublimation model driven by solar insolation to derive total production rates for different nuclei shapes and spin axis orientations using the orbital parameters of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. We used known shape models derived from prior missions to the Jupiter Family and short period comets. The slopes of production rates versus heliocentric distance were calculated for the different model setups. Results. The standard (homogeneous) outgassing model confirms the well-known result regarding the heliocentric dependence of water production rate that remains invariant for different nuclei shapes as long as the rotation axis is perpendicular to the orbital plane. When the rotation axis is not perpendicular, the nucleus shape becomes a critically important factor in determining the water production curves as the illuminated cross section of the nucleus changes with heliocentric distance. Shape and obliquity can produce changes in the illuminated cross section of up to 50% over an orbit. In addition, different spin axis orientations for a given shape can dramatically alter the pre- and post-perihelion production curves, as do assumptions about the activity distribution on the surface. If, however, the illuminated cross section of the nucleus is invariant, then the dependence on the above parameters is weak, as demonstrated here with the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko shape. The comets Hartley 2 and Wild 2 are shown to yield significantly different production curve shapes for the same orbit and orientation as 67P/CG, varying by as much as a factor of three as a result of only changing the nucleus shape. Finally, we show that varying just three basic parameters, shape, spin axis orientation, and active spots distribution on the surface can lead to arbitrary deviations from the expected inverse square law dependence of water production rates near 1 au. Conclusions. With the results obtained, we cannot avoid the conclusion that, without prior knowledge of basic parameters (shape, spin axis orientation, activity locations), it is difficult to reveal the nature of cometary outgassing from the heliocentric water production rates. Similarly, the inter-comparison of water production curves of two such comets may not be meaningful.

scholarly journals Constraining models of activity on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with Rosetta trajectory, rotation, and water production measurements

2019 ◽  
Vol 630 ◽  
pp. A18 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Attree ◽  
L. Jorda ◽  
O. Groussin ◽  
S. Mottola ◽  
N. Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Momentum Transfer ◽  
Observational Data ◽  
Activity Pattern ◽  
Seasonal Effects ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Gravitational Acceleration ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Active Fraction ◽  
Trajectory Data ◽  
Comet 67P

Aims. We use four observational data sets, mainly from the Rosetta mission, to constrain the activity pattern of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P). Methods. We developed a numerical model that computes the production rate and non-gravitational acceleration of the nucleus of comet 67P as a function of time, taking into account its complex shape with a shape model reconstructed from OSIRIS imagery. We used this model to fit three observational data sets: the trajectory data from flight dynamics; the rotation state as reconstructed from OSIRIS imagery; and the water production measurements from ROSINA of 67P. The two key parameters of our model, adjusted to fit the three data sets all together, are the activity pattern and the momentum transfer efficiency (i.e., the so-called η parameter of the non-gravitational forces). Results. We find an activity pattern that can successfully reproduce the three data sets simultaneously. The fitted activity pattern exhibits two main features: a higher effective active fraction in two southern super-regions (~10%) outside perihelion compared to the northern regions (<4%), and a drastic rise in effective active fraction of the southern regions (~25−35%) around perihelion. We interpret the time-varying southern effective active fraction by cyclic formation and removal of a dust mantle in these regions. Our analysis supports moderate values of the momentum transfer coefficient η in the range 0.6–0.7; values η ≤ 0.5 or η ≥ 0.8 significantly degrade the fit to the three data sets. Our conclusions reinforce the idea that seasonal effects linked to the orientation of the spin axis play a key role in the formation and evolution of dust mantles, and in turn, they largely control the temporal variations of the gas flux.

scholarly journals Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at a large heliocentric distance

2008 ◽  
Vol 490 (1) ◽  
pp. 377-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Tubiana ◽  
L. Barrera ◽  
M. Drahus ◽  
H. Boehnhardt
Keyword(s):  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Comet 67P

scholarly journals Time evolution of dust deposits in the Hapi region of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

2020 ◽  
Vol 636 ◽  
pp. A91
Author(s):  
P. Cambianica ◽  
M. Fulle ◽  
G. Cremonese ◽  
E. Simioni ◽  
G. Naletto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Evolution ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Loss Rate ◽  
Dust Layer ◽  
Water Ice ◽  
Narrow Angle ◽  
Dust Deposit ◽  
Erosion And Accretion ◽  
Comet 67P ◽  
Cometary Activity

Aims. We provide a measurement of the seasonal evolution of the dust deposit erosion and accretion in the Hapi region of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with a vertical accuracy of 0.2–0.9 m. Methods. We used OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera images with a spatial scale of lower than 1.30 m px−1 and developed a tool to monitor the time evolution of 22 boulder heights with respect to the surrounding dust deposit. The tool is based on the measurement of the shadow length projected by the boulder on the surrounding pebble deposit. Assuming the position of the boulders does not change during the observational period, boulder height variations provide an indication of how the thickness of the surrounding dust layer varies over time through erosion and accretion phenomena. Results. We measured an erosion of the dust deposit of 1.7 ± 0.2 m during the inbound orbit until 12 December, 2014. This value nearly balances the fallout from the southern hemisphere during perihelion cometary activity. During the perihelion phase, the dust deposit then increased by 1.4 ± 0.8 m. This is interpreted as a direct measurement of the fallout thickness. By comparing the erosion rate and dust volume loss rate at the Hapi region measured in the coma, the fallout represents ~96% in volume of the ejecta. The amount of the eroded pristine material from the southern hemisphere, together with its subsequent transport and fallout on the nucleus, led us to discuss the pristine water ice abundance in comet 67P. We determine that the refractory-to-ice mass ratio ranges from 6 to 110 in the perihelion-eroded pristine nucleus, providing a pristine ice mass fraction of (8 ± 7)% in mass.

scholarly journals Cloud Cover over the South Pole from Visual Observations, Satellite Retrievals, and Surface-Based Infrared Radiation Measurements

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 544-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Town ◽  
Von P. Walden ◽  
Stephen G. Warren
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
South Pole ◽  
The South ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Satellite Retrievals ◽  
Polar Day ◽  
Very High ◽  
Visual Observations

Abstract Estimates of cloud cover over the South Pole are presented from five different data sources: routine visual observations (1957–2004; Cvis), surface-based spectral infrared (IR) data (2001; CPAERI), surface-based broadband IR data (1994–2003; Cpyr), the Extended Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Polar Pathfinder (APP-x) dataset (1994–99; CAPP-x), and the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) dataset (1994–2003; CISCCP). The seasonal cycle of cloud cover is found to range from 45%–50% during the short summer to a relatively constant 55%–65% during the winter. Relationships between Cpyr and 2-m temperature, 10-m wind speed and direction, and longwave radiation are investigated. It is shown that clouds warm the surface in all seasons, 0.5–1 K during summer and 3–4 K during winter. The annual longwave cloud radiative forcing is 18 W m−2 for downwelling radiation and 10 W m−2 for net radiation. The cloud cover datasets are intercompared during the time periods in which they overlap. The nighttime bias of Cvis is worse than previously suspected, by approximately −20%; CISCCP shows some skill during the polar day, while CAPP-x shows some skill at night. The polar cloud masks for the satellite data reviewed here are not yet accurate enough to reliably derive surface or cloud properties over the East Antarctic Plateau. The best surface-based source of cloud cover in terms of the combination of accuracy and length of record is determined to be Cpyr. The use of the Cpyr dataset for further tests of satellite retrievals and for tests of polar models is recommended.

scholarly journals Maser emissions from comets

2002 ◽  
Vol 206 ◽  
pp. 443-450
Author(s):  
Pierre Colom ◽  
Dominique Bockelée-Morvan ◽  
Jacques Crovisier ◽  
Éric Gérard
Keyword(s):  
Production Rate ◽  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Good Knowledge ◽  
Oh Radical ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Linear Regime ◽  
Radio Observations ◽  
Excitation Mechanisms ◽  
Water Production Rate

The 18-cm lines of the OH radical are the only well-documented masers in comets. They have been observed in more than 65 comets since 1973. The good knowledge of their excitation mechanisms and their linear regime allow us to estimate the water production rate and its variation with heliocentric distance from radio observations of OH in comets. Two bright comets, C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) and C/1995 01 (Hale-Bopp), recently passed perihelion. We give an account of their observing campaigns and of the new insights they provide in the physics of comets. We also discuss the possibility of masering emission for other cometary molecules: H2O, CH, CH3OH.

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