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Radar observations of three comets and detection of echoes from one: P/Grigg-Skjellerup
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Kamoun, Patrick Campbell, Donald B. Pettengill, Gordon H. Shapiro, Irwin I. |
| Copyright Year | 1998 |
| Abstract | Abstract Radar echoes from the nucleus of the short-period comet Grigg-Skjellerup were obtained using the 12.6 cm wavelength radar of the Arecibo Observatory during the apparition of 20 May–2 June 1982. Dual circularly-polarized receiving channels were employed. The receiving mode orthogonally polarized to the transmission yielded an echo equal to nearly 10 times the standard deviation of the accompanying noise; no echo was detected in the polarization of the same sense as transmitted. The observations give a radar cross-section of 0.50±0.13 km 2 , and an upper limit to the width of the (unresolved) echo spectrum of less than 1 Hz. These results are consistent with specular reflection from a solid nucleus having a radius of less than 0.4 km. The upper limit depends on the unknown rotation rate and scattering law. Two other comets, comets Austin and P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko have also been probed but have not returned any detectable echo, thus allowing one to put only an upper limit on the sizes of their nuclei. |
| Starting Page | 23 |
| Ending Page | 28 |
| Page Count | 6 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.1016/S0032-0633(98)00108-1 |
| Volume Number | 47 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/kamoun.etal.1999.comets.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0032-0633%2898%2900108-1 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
