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Comets: Nature, Evolution and Decay

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2016

Fred L. Whipple
Fred L. Whipple*
Affiliation:
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 USA

Extract

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A brief summary is given of the current concepts of the icy conglomerate cometary nucleus and of the origin of comets. Evidence that the cores of comets may contain less than average volatile material, whether in formation or by radiative heating, raises the question of why at least two very faint short-period comets suddenly experienced violent outbursts (~4000 times in brightness). A preliminary study of close double comet nuclei as affected by differential nongravitational forces shows that a collision of a cometary satellite with its primary is a likely outcome. Thus double nuclei may possibly explain these rare but extreme outbursts. Statistics suggest, however that most comet splitting and comet outbursts represent intrinsic activities in extremely non-homogeneous nuclei.

Type
Joint Discussions
Information
Highlights of Astronomy , Volume 6 , 1983 , pp. 319 - 331
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1983

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