Published July 1990 | Version v1
Journal article

The landscape of Comet Halley

  • 1. Konkoly Obszervatorium, Budapest (Hungary)
  • 2. Kozponti Fizikai Kutato Intezet, Budapest (Hungary)

Description

Imaging experiment results have been used to generate a three-dimensional model of the nucleus of Comet Halley in which overall dimensions are 7.2, 7.22, and 15.3 km, defining a volume of 365 cu km. Ratios of the inertial momenta are 3.5:3.4:1; the longest inertial axis is slightly inclined to the body's geometrical axis, and overall shape is very irregular. Four brightness features are identified, and two of these are suggested to be related to slope variations displayed by the Giotto images of the comet: one of these features is the ducktail. The model also reproduced the outlines of VEGA-1 images. 15 refs

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Icarus
Journal Volume
86
Series
Icarus.
Journal Page Range
9-20
ISSN
0019-1035
CODEN
ICRSA

INIS

Country of Publication
United States
Country of Input or Organization
United States
INIS RN
22000944
Subject category
S79: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY;
Descriptors DEI
HALLEY COMET; IMAGES; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; MOMENT OF INERTIA; MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES; SATELLITES; SIZE; THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS; TOPOGRAPHY; VEGA SPACE PROBES
Descriptors DEC
COMETS; SPACE VEHICLES