Abstract
The images of comet Halley's nucleus returned during three spacecraft encounters in March 19861,2 are challenging the theory of the release of particles from a comet's nucleus. Instead of a spherically symmetric outflow, each spacecraft observed strong jets flowing from the sunward side of the nucleus. Here we present ground based 2–23 μm photometry and 10.3 μm imaging of Halley taken within hours of the Giotto spacecraft encounter. The photometry shows a colour temperature of 360 K and silicate emission features at 10 and 20 μm, and the image shows jet activity similar to that observed by Giotto, but on a scale of thousands of km. The expected 10 μm surface brightness, based on the particle mass distribution measured by Giotto and assuming solid, spherical grains, is a factor of six lower than the observed value. We suggest that fluffy particles could remove this discrepancy.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Sagdeev, R. Z. et al. Nature 321, 262–266 (1986).
Keller, H. U. et al. Nature 321, 320–326 (1986).
Gehrz, R. D., Hackwell, J. A. & Jones, T. W. Astrophys. J. 191, 675–684 (1974).
Gehrz, R. D., Grasdalen, G. L. & Hackwell, J. A. in Encyclopedia of Phys. Sci. and Tech. Vol. 2 (ed. Meyers, R. A.) 53 (Academic, Orlando, 1987).
Ney, E. P. & Gehrz, R. D. Bull. Am. astr. Soc. 18, 685 (1986).
Grasdalen, G. L., Hackwell, J. A. & Gehrz, R. D. Publs astr. Soc. Pacif. 96, 1017–1023 (1984).
Grasdalen, G. L., Hackwell, J. A. & Gehrz, R. D. in Topical Meeting on Information Processing in Astronomy and Optics (Opt. Soc. Am., paper ThB4-1, 1983).
Willingale, R. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 194, 359–364 (1981).
Sekanina, Z. & Larson, S. M. Nature 321, 357–361 (1986).
Ney, E. P. in Comets (ed. Wilkening, L. L.) 323–340 (University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1982).
Gilman, R. C. Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 268, 397–404 (1974).
Kissel, J. et al. Nature 321, 280–282 (1986).
Kissel, J. et al. Nature 321, 336–337 (1986).
McDonnell, J. A. M. et al. in Proc. 20th ESLAB Symposium on the Exploration of Halley's Comet, Vol. II (eds Battrick, D. et al.) 25 (ESA Publications Division ESTEC, Noordwijk, 1986).
McDonnell, J. A. M. et al. Nature 321, 338–341 (1986).
Gilman, R. C. Astrophys. J. 188, 87–94 (1974).
Brownlee, D. E. A. Rev. Earth planet. Sci. 13, 147–173 (1985).
Greenberg, J. M. Nature 321, 385 (1986).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hayward, T., Gehrz, R. & Grasdalen, G. Ground-based infrared observations of comet Halley. Nature 326, 55–57 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/326055a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/326055a0
This article is cited by
-
Dust in the universe: Implications for terrestrial prebiotic chemistry
Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere (1995)
