| 1. |
- Meech, K. J., et al.
(författare)
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EPOXI: Comet 103P/Hartley 2 Observations from a Worldwide Campaign
- 2011
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - London : IOP. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 734:L1, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Earth- and space-based observations provide synergistic information for space mission encounters by providing data over longer timescales, at different wavelengths and using techniques that are impossible with an in situ flyby. We report here such observations in support of the EPOXI spacecraft flyby of comet 103P/Hartley 2. The nucleus is small and dark, and exhibited a very rapidly changing rotation period. Prior to the onset of activity, the period was ~16.4?hr. Starting in 2010 August the period changed from 16.6?hr to near 19?hr in December. With respect to dust composition, most volatiles and carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios, the comet is similar to other Jupiter-family comets. What is unusual is the dominance of CO 2 -driven activity near perihelion, which likely persists out to aphelion. Near perihelion the comet nucleus was surrounded by a large halo of water-ice grains that contributed significantly to the total water production.
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| 2. |
- Barucci, M. A., et al.
(författare)
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Detection of exposed H2O ice on the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as observed by Rosetta OSIRIS and VIRTIS instruments
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 595
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Since the orbital insertion of the Rosetta spacecraft, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) has been mapped by OSIRIS camera and VIRTIS spectro-imager, producing a huge quantity of images and spectra of the comet's nucleus. Aims. The aim of this work is to search for the presence of H2O on the nucleus which, in general, appears very dark and rich in dehydrated organic material. After selecting images of the bright spots which could be good candidates to search for H2O ice, taken at high resolution by OSIRIS, we check for spectral cubes of the selected coordinates to identify these spots observed by VIRTIS. Methods. The selected OSIRIS images were processed with the OSIRIS standard pipeline and corrected for the illumination conditions for each pixel using the Lommel-Seeliger disk law. The spots with higher I/F were selected and then analysed spectrophotometrically and compared with the surrounding area. We selected 13 spots as good targets to be analysed by VIRTIS to search for the 2 mu m absorption band of water ice in the VIRTIS spectral cubes. Results. Out of the 13 selected bright spots, eight of them present positive H2O ice detection on the VIRTIS data. A spectral analysis was performed and the approximate temperature of each spot was computed. The H2O ice content was confirmed by modeling the spectra with mixing (areal and intimate) of H2O ice and dark terrain, using Hapke's radiative transfer modeling. We also present a detailed analysis of the detected spots.
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| 3. |
- Biver, N, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term evolution of the outgassing of comet Hale-Bopp from radio observations
- 1997
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Ingår i: EARTH MOON AND PLANETS. - : KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBL. - 0167-9295. ; 78:1-3, s. 5-11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) has been observed on a regular basis since August 1995 at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths using IRAM, JCMT, CSO and SEST radio telescopes. The production rates of eight molecular species (CO, HCN, CH3OH, H2CO, H2S, CS, CH3CN
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| 4. |
- Hartogh, P., et al.
(författare)
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HIFI observations of water in the atmosphere of comet C/2008 Q3 (Garradd)
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 518:Article Number: L150
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-resolution far-infrared and sub-millimetre spectroscopy of water lines is an important tool to understand the physical and chemical properties of cometary atmospheres. We present observations of several rotational ortho- and para-water transitions in comet C/2008 Q3 (Garradd) performed with HIFI on Herschel. These observations have provided the first detection of the 2(12)-1(01) (1669 GHz) ortho and 1(11)-0(00) (1113 GHz) para transitions of water in a cometary spectrum. In addition, the ground-state transition 1(10)-1(01) at 557 GHz is detected and mapped. By detecting several water lines quasi-simultaneously and mapping their emission we can constrain the excitation parameters in the coma. Synthetic line profiles are computed using excitation models which include excitation by collisions, solar infrared radiation, and radiation trapping. We obtain the gas kinetic temperature, constrain the electron density profile, and estimate the coma expansion velocity by analyzing the map and line shapes. We derive water production rates of 1.7-2.8 x 10(28) s(-1) over the range r(h) = 1.83-1.85 AU.
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| 5. |
- Kueppers, Michael, et al.
(författare)
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Triple F-a comet nucleus sample return mission
- 2009
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Ingår i: Experimental astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 23:3, s. 809-847
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Triple F (Fresh From the Fridge) mission, a Comet Nucleus Sample Return, has been proposed to ESA's Cosmic Vision program. A sample return from a comet enables us to reach the ultimate goal of cometary research. Since comets are the least processed bodies in the solar system, the proposal goes far beyond cometary science topics (like the explanation of cometary activity) and delivers invaluable information about the formation of the solar system and the interstellar molecular cloud from which it formed. The proposed mission would extract three sample cores of the upper 50 cm from three locations on a cometary nucleus and return them cooled to Earth for analysis in the laboratory. The simple mission concept with a touch-and-go sampling by a single spacecraft was proposed as an M-class mission in collaboration with the Russian space agency ROSCOSMOS.
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| 6. |
- Biver, N., et al.
(författare)
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Coma composition of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from radio-wave spectroscopy
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 672
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the results of a molecular survey of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko undertaken with the Institut de RadioAstronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) 30-m radio telescope in November–December 2021, when it had its most favourable apparition in decades. Observations at IRAM 30-m during the 12–16 November period covered 8 GHz bandwidth at 3 mm, 16 GHz at 2 mm, and 60 GHz in the 1 mm window domain. These were completed by snapshots at 1 mm on 12–13 December and a short observation of the H2O line at 557 GHz with the Odin sub-millimetre observatory on 17.0 November 2021, and with 18-cm observations of OH with the Nançay radio telescope. Less sensitive observations obtained at a previous perihelion passage on 18–22 September 2015 with IRAM and 9–12 November 2015 with Odin are also presented. The gas outflow velocity, outgassing pattern, and temperature have been accurately constrained by the observations. They are perfectly consistent with those measured in situ with the Rosetta/MIRO sub-millimetre instrument in 2015. In particular, the asymmetry of the line is well represented by a jet concentrating three-quarters of the outgassing in about π steradians. We derived abundances relative to water for seven molecules and significant upper limits for approximately five others. The retrieved abundances were compared to those measured in situ at the previous perihelion with Rosetta. While those of HCN, CH3OH, and HNCO are comparable, 67P is found to be depleted in H2S and relatively normal in CS (H2S/CS ≈ 3) in strong contradiction with the Rosetta/ROSINA mass spectrometer measurement of the H2S/CS2 (≈100) abundance ratio. While the formaldehyde total abundance found with IRAM 30-m when assuming it to be mostly produced by a distributed source (Haser parent scale length ≈8000 km) is similar to the one derived by Rosetta/ROSINA, we find that the formaldehyde coming from the nucleus is one order of magnitude less abundant than measured in situ by Rosetta/ROSINA.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Biver, N., et al.
(författare)
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Isotopic ratios of H, C, N, O, and S in comets C/2012 F6 (Lemmon) and C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 589, s. Art. no. A78-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The apparition of bright comets C/2012 F6 (Lemmon) and C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) in March-April 2013 and January 2015, combined with the improved observational capabilities of submillimeter facilities, offered an opportunity to carry out sensitive compositional and isotopic studies of the volatiles in their coma. We observed comet Lovejoy with the IRAM 30 m telescope between 13 and 26 January 2015, and with the Odin submillimeter space observatory on 29 January-3 February 2015. We detected 22 molecules and several isotopologues. The (H2O)-O-16 and (H2O)-O-18 production rates measured with Odin follow a periodic pattern with a period of 0.94 days and an amplitude of similar to 25%. The inferred isotope ratios in comet Lovejoy are O-16/O-18 = 499 +/- 24 and D/H = 1.4 +/- 0.4 x 10(-4) in water, S-32/S-34 = 24.7 +/- 3.5 in CS, all compatible with terrestrial values. The ratio C-12/C-13 = 109 +/- 14 in HCN is marginally higher than terrestrial and N-14/N-15 = 145 +/- 12 in HCN is half the Earth ratio. Several upper limits for D/H or C-12/C-13 in other molecules are reported. From our observation of HDO in comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), we report the first D/H ratio in an Oort Cloud comet that is not larger than the terrestrial value. On the other hand, the observation of the same HDO line in the other Oort-cloud comet, C/2012 F6 (Lemmon), suggests a D/H value four times higher. Given the previous measurements of D/H in cometary water, this illustrates that a diversity in the D/H ratio and in the chemical composition, is present even within the same dynamical group of comets, suggesting that current dynamical groups contain comets formed at very different places or times in the early solar system.
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| 9. |
- Biver, N., et al.
(författare)
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Radio observations of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 before and after Deep Impact
- 2007
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Ingår i: Icarus. - : Elsevier BV. - 1090-2643 .- 0019-1035. ; 191:2, s. 494-512
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Comet 9P/Tempel 1 was the target of a multi-wavelength worldwide investigation in 2005. The NASA Deep Impact mission reached the comet on 4.24 July 2005, delivering a 370-kg impactor which hit the comet at 10.3 km s -1 . Following this impact, a cloud of gas and dust was excavated from the comet nucleus. The comet was observed in 2005 prior to and after the impact, at 18-cm wavelength with the Nançay radio telescope, in the millimeter range with the IRAM and CSO radio telescopes, and at 557 GHz with the Odin satellite. OH observations at Nançay provided a 4-month monitoring of the outgassing of the comet from March to June, followed by the observation of H 2 O with Odin from June to August 2005. The peak of outgassing was found to be around 1 × 10 28 molec. s -1 between May and July. Observations conducted with the IRAM 30-m radio telescope in May and July 2005 resulted in detections of HCN, CH 3 OH and H 2 S with classical abundances relative to water (0.12, 2.7 and 0.5%, respectively). In addition, a variation of the HCN production rate with a period of 1.73 ± 0.10 days was observed in May 2005, consistent with the 1.7-day rotation period of the nucleus. The phase of these variations, as well as those of CN seen in July by Jehin et al. [Jehin, E., Manfroid, J., Hutsemékers, D., Cochran, A.L., Arpigny, C., Jackson, W.M., Rauer, H., Schulz, R., Zucconi, J.-M., 2006. Astrophys. J. 641, L145-L148], is consistent with a rotation period of the nucleus of 1.715 days and a strong variation of the outgassing activity by a factor 3 from minimum to maximum. This also implies that the impact took place on the rising phase of the "natural" outgassing which reached its maximum ≈4 h after the impact. Post-impact observations at IRAM and CSO did not reveal a significant change of the outgassing rates and relative abundances, with the exception of CH 3 OH which may have been more abundant by up to one order of magnitude in the ejecta. Most other variations are linked to the intrinsic variability of the comet. The Odin satellite monitored nearly continuously the H 2 O line at 557 GHz during the 38 h following the impact on the 4th of July, in addition to weekly monitoring. Once the periodic variations related to the nucleus rotation are removed, a small increase of outgassing related to the impact is present, which corresponds to the release of ≈ 5000 ± 2000 tons of water. Two other bursts of activity, also observed at other wavelengths, were seen on 23 June and 7 July; they correspond to even larger releases of gas. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 10. |
- Biver, N., et al.
(författare)
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Radio observations of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 before and after Deep Impact
- 2007
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Ingår i: Icarus. - : Elsevier BV. - 1090-2643 .- 0019-1035. ; 187:1, s. 253-271
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Comet 9P/Tempel 1 was the target of a multi-wavelength worldwide investigation in 2005. The NASA Deep Impact mission reached the comet on 4.24 July 2005, delivering a 370-kg impactor which hit the comet at 10.3 km s -1 . Following this impact, a cloud of gas and dust was excavated from the comet nucleus. The comet was observed in 2005 prior to and after the impact, at 18-cm wavelength with the Nançay radio telescope, in the millimeter range with the IRAM and CSO radio telescopes, and at 557 GHz with the Odin satellite. OH observations at Nançay provided a 4-month monitoring of the outgassing of the comet from March to June, followed by the observation of H 2 O with Odin from June to August 2005. The peak of outgassing was found to be around 1 × 10 28 molec. s -1 between May and July. Observations conducted with the IRAM 30-m radio telescope in May and July 2005 resulted in detections of HCN, CH 3 OH and H 2 S with classical abundances relative to water (0.12, 2.7 and 0.5%, respectively). In addition, a variation of the HCN production rate with a period of 1.73 ± 0.10 days was observed in May 2005, consistent with the 1.7-day rotation period of the nucleus. The phase of these variations, as well as those of CN seen in July by Jehin et al. [Jehin, E., Manfroid, J., Hutsemékers, D., Cochran, A.L., Arpigny, C., Jackson, W.M., Rauer, H., Schulz, R., Zucconi, J.-M., 2006. Astrophys. J. 641, L145-L148], is consistent with a rotation period of the nucleus of 1.715 days and a strong variation of the outgassing activity by a factor 3 from minimum to maximum. This also implies that the impact took place on the rising phase of the "natural" outgassing which reached its maximum ≈4 h after the impact. Post-impact observations at IRAM and CSO did not reveal a significant change of the outgassing rates and relative abundances, with the exception of CH 3 OH which may have been more abundant by up to one order of magnitude in the ejecta. Most other variations are linked to the intrinsic variability of the comet. The Odin satellite monitored nearly continuously the H 2 O line at 557 GHz during the 38 h following the impact on the 4th of July, in addition to weekly monitoring. Once the periodic variations related to the nucleus rotation are removed, a small increase of outgassing related to the impact is present, which corresponds to the release of ≈ 5000 ± 2000 tons of water. Two other bursts of activity, also observed at other wavelengths, were seen on 23 June and 7 July; they correspond to even larger releases of gas. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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