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Science 18 May 2001:
Vol. 292. no. 5520, pp. 1348 - 1353
DOI: 10.1126/science.1058886
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Reports
Imaging and Photometry of Comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) Before Perihelion and After Breakup
Tony L. Farnham,1*
David G. Schleicher,2
Laura M. Woodney,2
Peter V. Birch,3
Clara A. Eberhardy,4
Lorenza Levy5
We analyzed photometric measurements and images of comet
C/LINEAR before perihelion and after its breakup. Results from our photometry data include a lower limit of 0.44 kilometer for the radius
of the nucleus before breakup, and a determination that it was depleted
in carbon-chain molecules relative to most other comets. Our imaging
and modeling results, which include a constraint on the rotational
state of the nucleus, indicate that the disintegration likely started
on 18 or 19 July 2000. The total mass detectable in the dust tail after
the breakup was 3 × 108 kilograms, comparable to one
of the fragments in the Hubble Space Telescope images; we therefore
infer that most of the comet's original mass is hidden in remnants
between 1 millimeter and 50 meters in diameter.
1 Department of Astronomy, University of Texas,
Austin, TX 78712, USA.
2 Lowell Observatory, 1400 West Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA.
3 Perth Observatory, Walnut Road, Bickley 6076, Western Australia.
4 Department of Astronomy,
University of Washington, Physics/Astronomy Building, Stevens Way, Box
351580, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
5 Department of
Physics and Astronomy, Northern Arizona University, Box 6010, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
farnham{at}astro.as.utexas.edu
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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
- Water Production of Comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) Observed with the SWAN Instrument.
- J. T. T. Mäkinen, J.-L. Bertaux, M. R. Combi, and E. Quémerais (2001)
Science
292, 1326-1329
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- HST and VLT Investigations of the Fragments of Comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR).
- H. A. Weaver, Z. Sekanina, I. Toth, C. E. Delahodde, O. R. Hainaut, P. L. Lamy, J. M. Bauer, M. F. A'Hearn, C. Arpigny, M. R. Combi, et al. (2001)
Science
292, 1329-1333
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- Outgassing Behavior and Composition of Comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) During Its Disruption.
- D. Bockelée-Morvan, N. Biver, R. Moreno, P. Colom, J. Crovisier, E. Gérard, F. Henry, D. C. Lis, H. Matthews, H. A. Weaver, et al. (2001)
Science
292, 1339-1343
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- Charge Exchange-Induced X-Ray Emission from Comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR).
- C. M. Lisse, D. J. Christian, K. Dennerl, K. J. Meech, R. Petre, H. A. Weaver, and S. J. Wolk (2001)
Science
292, 1343-1348
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