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The striated dust tail of Comet West 1976 VI as a particle fragmentation phenomenonThe motions of 16 striae in the dust tail of Comet West are studied. It is found that all 16 striae have originated from particle ejections, and that the particles responsible for the formation of a discrete striae must be emitted simultaneously, be subjected to the same repulsive acceleration in the tail, and break up simultaneously. A strong correlation is found between the ejection times and the times of known explosive events. The repulsive accelerations of particle fragments in the striae vary from 0.6 to 2.7 times the solar attraction, indicating submicron grains of strongly absorbing materials. The repulsive acceleration of parent particles range from 0.55 to 1.10, which is only slightly smaller than those of their fragments and suggests highly nonspherical shapes of parents. The mass of dust in an average striae is estimated to be one-billion grams. Rotational bursting is discussed as a possible fragmentation mechanism. The absence of measurable effects of the Lorentz force indicate an upper limit of a few volts for the electric charge of the fragments.
Document ID
19810029909
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Sekanina, Z.
(California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Earth and Space Sciences Div., Pasadena, Calif.; Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge Mass., United States)
Farrell, J. A.
(California, University Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Los Alamos, N. Mex., United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 1980
Publication Information
Publication: Astronomical Journal
Volume: 85
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
81A14313
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: W-7405-ENG-36
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGR-09-015-159
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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