Observations of Halley's Comet by the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM)Solar Maximum Mission coronagraph/polarimeter observations of large scale phenomena in Halley's Comet are discussed. Observations of the hydrogen coma with the UV spectrometer are considered. It is concluded that coronograph/polarimeter observations of the disconnection event, in which the entire plasma tail uproots itself from the head of the comet, is convected away in the solar wind at speeds in the 50 to 100 km/sec range (relative to the head), and is replaced by a plasma tail constructed from folding ion-tail rays, are the most interesting.
Document ID
19860022990
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Other
Authors
Niedner, M. B. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)