THE PROGRESSIVE FRAGMENTATION OF 332P/IKEYA–MURAKAMI
| Autor: | Karen J. Meech, Richard J. Wainscoat, Man-To Hui, Robert Weryk, Harold A. Weaver, Quanzhi Ye, J. V. Keane, Marco Micheli, J. Kleyna |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Physics
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Monte Carlo method Delayed onset Astronomy and Astrophysics Astrophysics Breakup 01 natural sciences Photometry (optics) Fragmentation (mass spectrometry) Space and Planetary Science 0103 physical sciences Water ice 010303 astronomy & astrophysics 0105 earth and related environmental sciences |
| Zdroj: | The Astrophysical Journal. 827:L26 |
| ISSN: | 2041-8213 |
| DOI: | 10.3847/2041-8205/827/2/l26 |
| Popis: | We describe 2016 January–April observations of the fragments of 332P/Ikeya–Murakami, a comet earlier observed in a 2010 October outburst. We present photometry of the fragments and perform simulations to infer the time of breakup. We argue that the eastern-most rapidly brightening fragment (F4) best corresponds to the original nucleus, rather than the initial bright fragment F1. We compute radial and tangential nongravitational parameters, A 1 = (1.5 ± 0.4) × 10−8 au day−2 and (7.2 ± 1.9) × 10−9 au day−2; both are consistent with zero at the 4σ level. Monte Carlo simulations indicate that the fragments were emitted on the outbound journey well after the 2010 outburst, with bright fragment F1 splitting in early 2014 and the fainter fragments within months of the 2016 January recovery. Western fragment F7 is the oldest, dating from 2011. We suggest that the delayed onset of the splitting is consistent with a self-propagating crystallization of water ice. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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