DUST FROM COMET 209P/LINEAR DURING ITS 2014 RETURN: PARENT BODY OF A NEW METEOR SHOWER, THE MAY CAMELOPARDALIDS

Journal Article · Sat Jan 10 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/798/2/L34· OSTI ID:22364653

Ishiguro, Masateru ^[1]; Kuroda, Daisuke ^[2]; Hanayama, Hidekazu ^[3]; Takahashi, Jun; Takagi, Yuhei; Morihana, Kumiko; Honda, Satoshi; Arai, Akira ^[4]; Hasegawa, Sunao; Sarugaku, Yuki ^[5]; Watanabe, Makoto; Imai, Masataka; Goda, Shuhei ^[6]; Akitaya, Hiroshi ^[7]; Sekiguchi, Kazuhiro ^[8]; Oasa, Yumiko ^[9]; Saito, Yoshihiko ^[10]; Morokuma, Tomoki ^[11]; Murata, Katsuhiro ^[12]; Nogami, Daisaku ^[13] ; others, and

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Gwanak, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)
2. Okayama Astrophysical Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Asakuchi, Okayama 719-0232 (Japan)
3. Ishigakijima Astronomical Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Ishigaki, Okinawa 907-0024 (Japan)
4. Nishi-Harima Astronomical Observatory, Center for Astronomy, University of Hyogo, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5313 (Japan)
5. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan)
6. Department of Cosmosciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810 (Japan)
7. Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526 (Japan)
8. National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institute of Natural Sciences, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan)
9. Faculty of Education, Saitama University, Sakura, Saitama 338-8570 (Japan)
10. Department of Physics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551 (Japan)
11. Institute of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-0015 (Japan)
12. Department of Astrophysics, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602 (Japan)
13. Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan)

We report a new observation of the Jupiter family comet 209P/LINEAR during its 2014 return. The comet is recognized as a dust source of a new meteor shower, the May Camelopardalids. 209P/LINEAR was apparently inactive at a heliocentric distance r{sub h} = 1.6 AU and showed weak activity at r{sub h} ≤ 1.4 AU. We found an active region of <0.001% of the entire nuclear surface during the comet's dormant phase. An edge-on image suggests that particles up to 1 cm in size (with an uncertainty of factor 3-5) were ejected following a differential power-law size distribution with index q = –3.25 ± 0.10. We derived a mass-loss rate of 2-10 kg s{sup –1} during the active phase and a total mass of ≈5 × 10{sup 7} kg during the 2014 return. The ejection terminal velocity of millimeter- to centimeter-sized particles was 1-4 m s{sup –1}, which is comparable to the escape velocity from the nucleus (1.4 m s{sup –1}). These results imply that such large meteoric particles marginally escaped from the highly dormant comet nucleus via the gas drag force only within a few months of the perihelion passage.

• OSTI ID: 22364653
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 798, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ASTRONOMY
ASTROPHYSICS
COMETS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC SHOWERS
IMAGES
JUPITER PLANET
MASS TRANSFER
METEOROIDS
STELLAR WINDS
SURFACES