Substances of cometary grains estimated from evaporation and radiation pressure mechanisms

Conference · Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1981 · Icarus; (United States)

OSTI ID:5169169

Saito, K ^[1]; Isobe, S ^[2]; Nishioka, K

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1. Tokyo Astronomical Observatory, Tokyo, Japan
2. Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan

Estimates of the shape and intensity distribution of large cometary tails on the basis of grain properties in the solar radiation field yields the following results: (1) the ratio of maximum radiation pressure force to the gravitational force acting on dust grains in cometary tails is less than 2.5, implying that such grains as graphite particles in the size range 0.02-0.2 microns do not exist in them and (2) tail substances supplied near the time of perihelion passage for comets Ikeya-Seki and Seki-Lines were composed of grains having radiation pressure ratio values lower than 1.0. It is concluded that the material was composed of silicate grain only, since iron grains had sublimated and no graphite particles existed.

• OSTI ID: 5169169
• Report Number(s): CONF-8103123-; TRN: 82-016732
• Journal Information: Icarus; (United States), Vol. 47; Conference: 61. colloquium on comets: gases, ices, grains, and plasma, Tucson, AZ, USA, 11 Mar 1981
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COMETS
DIMENSIONS
PARTICLE SIZE
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DISTRIBUTION
GRAPHITE
RADIATION PRESSURE
SOLAR RADIATION
CARBON
ELEMENTAL MINERALS
ELEMENTS
MINERALS
NONMETALS
RADIATIONS
SIZE
STELLAR RADIATION
640107* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Planetary Phenomena