Photometry and imaging of Comet 103P/Hartley in the 2010-2011 apparition

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• 作者：Giannantonio Milani^a ; ^b ; ^s ; ^{milani@mail.bio.unipd.it} ; ^{milani.giannantonio@tiscali.it} ; Erik Bryssinck^c ; ^a ; Martino Nicolini^d ; ^a ; Herman Miku&#382 ; ^e ; ^a ; Giovanni Sostero^f ; ^a ; Paolo Bacci^g ; ^a ; Walter Borghini^h ; ^a ; Dario Castellano^a ; Mauro Facchini^d ; ^a ; Giancarlo Faveroⁱ ; ^a ; Gianni Galli^j ; ^a ; Ernesto Guido^f ; ^a ; Bernhard Hausler^k ; ^a ; Kamil Hornoch^l ; ^a ; Nick Howes^m ; ⁿ ; ^a ; Rolando Ligustri^o ; ^a ; Carmen Perrella^a ; Enrico Prosperi^p ; ^a ; Jure Skvarč ; ^e ; ^a ; Jiř ; í ; Srba^q ; ^a ; Roberto Trabatti^r ; ^a ; Carlo Vinante^s ; ^a ; Gyula Szabó ; ^t ; ^a
• 关键词：Comets ; dust ; Photometry ; Comets ; dynamics
• 刊名：Icarus
• 出版年：2013
• 出版时间：February, 2013
• 年：2013
• 卷：222
• 期：2
• 页码：786-798
• 全文大小：2271 K

文摘

The results of a CARA (Cometary Archive for Af¦Ñ) campaign on Comet 103P/Hartley 2 are presented. The main goal was to monitor extensively the comet during the apparition with CCD R and I imaging and photometry, as a support of EPOXI mission.

The Af¦Ñ quantity showed a progressively rising ascending branch, followed by an apparent flat maximum that lasted for 2 months, from about ?10 to +50 days from perihelion. In this period, Af¦Ñ peaked at around 100 cm in R band with strong short term fluctuations between 70 and 140 cm. Early signs of activity were detectable well before perihelion (about 80-90 days before) and a random variability is also present in the descending branch after perihelion. Three post perihelion data points (between +55 and +61 days) from the 1997-1998 apparition show a bit higher Af¦Ñ value of our observation and a similar fast variation.

The average Af¦Ñ behavior, corrected for the solar phase effect, is strongly asymmetric and shows a more steeper ascending branch, approaching to perihelion.

Morphology and coma asymmetry, as well as the sunward and tailward profiles are examined. An average gradient indicatively between ¡«¦Ñ^?0.7 and ¦Ñ^?1 is observed in the inner coma (¦Ñ < 2000 km). Ten small amplitude outbursts have been detected and two ones were suspected.