A multi-instrument study of Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) at 2.1AU (pre-perihelion) from the Sun

We observed Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) on UT 2011 September 8th and 9th at a large heliocentric distance of 2.1AU upon its entry to the inner Solar System. The observations were performed using high-resolution infrared spectrometers (NIRSPEC at Keck II and CSHELL at IRTF), allowing us to obtain stron...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Icarus (New York, N.Y. 1962) N.Y. 1962), 2012-07, Vol.220 (1), p.291-295
Main Authors: Villanueva, G.L., Mumma, M.J., DiSanti, M.A., Bonev, B.P., Paganini, L., Blake, G.A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrobiology
Comets
Composition
Infrared observations
Spectroscopy
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Summary:We observed Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) on UT 2011 September 8th and 9th at a large heliocentric distance of 2.1AU upon its entry to the inner Solar System. The observations were performed using high-resolution infrared spectrometers (NIRSPEC at Keck II and CSHELL at IRTF), allowing us to obtain strong detections of H2O, CO, CH4 and HCN and sensitive upper-limits for C2H6, C2H2, NH3 and HC3N. We oriented the slit at 45° from the projected Sun–comet vector and obtained spatial profiles of H2O, CH4, and HCN that revealed notable differences among these species. In particular, we observed a strong excess of water in the projected sunward direction, probably due to a solar-activated jet releasing water-rich icy grains.
ISSN:0019-1035
1090-2643
DOI:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.03.027