Radar Detection of the Nucleus and Coma of Comet Hyakutake (C/1996 B2)

Radar observations of comet Hyakutake (C/1996 B2) made at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California have detected echoes from the nucleus and from large grains in the inner coma. The nucleus of this bright comet was estimated to be only 2 to 3 kilometers in diameter. Models of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1997-12, Vol.278 (5345), p.1921-1924
Main Authors: Harmon, J. K., Ostro, S. J., Benner, L. A. M., Rosema, K. D., Jurgens, R. F., Winkler, R., Yeomans, D. K., Choate, D., Cormier, R., Giorgini, J. D., Mitchell, D. L., Chodas, P. W., Rose, R., Kelley, D., Slade, M. A., Thomas, M. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Albedo
Astronomy
Average linear density
Cometary comas
Comets
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Hyakutake comet
Interplanetary space
Mass loss (Astrophysics)
Motion
Noise spectra
Observations
Radar
Radar cross sections
Radar echoes
Radar tracking
Size distribution
Solar system
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Summary:Radar observations of comet Hyakutake (C/1996 B2) made at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California have detected echoes from the nucleus and from large grains in the inner coma. The nucleus of this bright comet was estimated to be only 2 to 3 kilometers in diameter. Models of the coma echo indicate backscatter from porous, centimeter-size grains ejected anisotropically at velocities of tens of meters per second. The radar observations suggest that a comet's activity may be a poor indicator of its size and provide evidence that large grains constitute an important component of the mass loss from a typical active comet.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.278.5345.1921