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A CO2-rich coma model applied to the neutral coma of Comet WestModels of the cometary coma in which the dominant volatile is CO2 have been constructed for a range of heliocentric distances. Model coma abundances of C2, C3, and CN are compared with the abundances observed in Comet West and are found to be in good agreement. Furthermore, the variation with heliocentric distance of C2, C3, and CN model abundances agree well with the observed variation in Comet West. The present work lends detailed support to a previous suggestion that a substance more volatile than water, such as CO2, controls the evaporation of the nucleus of Comet West. The implications for cometary formation are briefly discussed.
Document ID
19830031705
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Mitchell, G. F.
(Saint Mary's Univ. Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada)
Swift, M. B.
(Saint Mary's University Halifax, Canada)
Huntress, W. T.
(California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 1982
Publication Information
Publication: Astronomical Journal
Volume: 87
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
83A12923
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS7-1001
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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