Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 30 May 1986:
Vol. 232. no. 4754, pp. 1115 - 1117
DOI: 10.1126/science.232.4754.1115
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

The Discovery of Dust Trails in the Orbits of Periodic Comets

MARK V. SYKES 1, LARRY A. LEBOFSKY 1, DONALD M. HUNTEN 1, and FRANK LOW 2

1 Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721.
2 Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721.

Analysis of data from the Infrared Astronomical Satellite has yielded evidence for narrow trails of dust coincident with the orbits of periodic comets Tempel 2, Encke, and Gunn. Dust was found both ahead of and behind the orbital positions of these comets. This dust was produced by the low-velocity ejection of large particles during perihelion passage. More than 100 additional dust trails are suggested by the data, almost all near the detection limits of the satellite. Many of these dust trails may be derived from previously unobserved comets.

Submitted on December 9, 1985
Accepted on March 18, 1986


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
A Short Duration of the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary Event: Evidence from Extraterrestrial Helium-3.
S. Mukhopadhyay, K. A. Farley, and A. Montanari (2001)
Science 291, 1952-1955
   Abstract »    Full Text »
Chemically Anomalous, Preaccretionally Irradiated Grains in Interplanetary Dust from Comets.
J. P. Bradley and J. P. Bradley (1994)
Science 265, 925-929
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)