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Register a new userA note on the survival of the sungrazing comet C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) within the Roche limit
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In this work, a novel approach to explain the survival of sungrazing comets within the Roche limit is presented. It is shown that in the case of low tensile strength of the cometary nucleus, tidal splitting of the nucleus can be prevented by the reaction force caused by the sublimation of the icy constituents. The survival of Comet C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) within the Roche limit of the Sun is, thus, the result of high tensile strength of the nucleus, or the result of the reaction force caused by the strong outgassing of the icy constituents near the Sun.
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We present an analysis of EUV and soft X-ray emission detected toward Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3) during its post-perihelion traverse of the solar corona on December 16, 2011. Observations were recorded by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) aboard Hinode. A single set of contemporaneous images is explored in detail, along with prefatory consideration for time evolution using only the 171 A data. For each of the eight passbands, we characterize the emission and derive outgassing rates where applicable. As material sublimates from the nucleus and is immersed in coronal plasma, it rapidly ionizes through charge states seldom seen in this environment. The AIA data show four stages of oxygen ionization (O III - O VI) along with C IV, while XRT likely captured emission from O VII, a line typical of the corona. With a nucleus of at least several hundred meters upon approach to a perihelion that brought the comet to within 0.2 solar radii of the photosphere, Lovejoy was the most significant sungrazer in recent history. Correspondingly high outgassing rates on the order of 10^32.5 oxygen atoms per second are estimated. Assuming that the neutral oxygen comes from water, this translates to a mass-loss rate of about 9.5E9 g/s, and based only on the 171 A observations, we find a total mass loss of approximately 10^13 g over the AIA egress. Additional and supporting analyses include a differential emission measure to characterize the coronal environment, consideration for the opening angle, and a comparison of the emissions leading edge with the expected position of the nucleus.
We describe the physical and orbital properties of C/2011 W3. After surviving perihelion, the comet underwent major changes (permanent loss of nuclear condensation, formation of spine tail). The process of disintegration culminated with an outburst on December 17.6 (T+1.6 d) and this delayed response is inconsistent with the rubble pile model. Probable cause was thermal stress from the heat pulse into the nucleus after perihelion, which could also produce fragmentation of sungrazers far from the Sun. The spine tail was a synchronic feature, made up of dust released at <30 m/s. Since the nucleus would have been located on the synchrone, we computed the astrometric positions of the missing nucleus as the coordinates of the points of intersection of the spine tails axis with lines of forced orbital-period variation, derived from orbital solutions based on preperihelion astrometry from the ground. The resulting osculating orbital period was 698+/-2 years, which proves that C/2011 W3 is the first major member of the predicted new, 21st-century cluster of bright Kreutz-system sungrazers. The spine tails tip contained dust 1-2 mm in diameter. The bizarre appearance of the dust tail in images taken hours after perihelion with coronagraphs on SOHO and STEREO is readily understood. The disconnection of the comets head from the preperihelion tail and the apparent activity attenuation near perihelion are both caused by sublimation of all dust at heliocentric distances smaller than ~1.8 solar radii. The tails brightness is strongly affected by forward scattering of sunlight by dust. The longest-imaged grains had a radiation-pressure parameter beta ~ 0.6, probably submicron-sized silicate grains. The place of C/2011 W3 within the hierarchy of the Kreutz system and its genealogy via a 14th century parent suggest that it is indirectly related to the celebrated sungrazer X/1106 C1.
Comet composition provides critical information on the chemical and physical processes that took place during the formation of the Solar system. We report here on millimetre spectroscopic observations of the long-period bright comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) using the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) band 1 receiver between 2015 January UT 16.948 to 18.120, when the comet was at heliocentric distance of 1.30 AU and geocentric distance of 0.53 AU. Bright comets allow for sensitive observations of gaseous volatiles that sublimate in their coma. These observations allowed us to detect HCN, CH3OH (multiple transitions), H2CO and CO, and to measure precise molecular production rates. Additionally, sensitive upper limits were derived on the complex molecules acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) and formamide (NH2CHO) based on the average of the strongest lines in the targeted spectral range to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Gas production rates are derived using a non-LTE molecular excitation calculation involving collisions with H2O and radiative pumping that becomes important in the outer coma due to solar radiation. We find a depletion of CO in C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) with a production rate relative to water of 2 per cent, and relatively low abundances of Q(HCN)/Q(H2O), 0.1 per cent, and Q(H2CO)/Q(H2O), 0.2 per cent. In contrast the CH3OH relative abundance Q(CH3OH)/Q(H2O), 2.2 per cent, is close to the mean value observed in other comets. The measured production rates are consistent with values derived for this object from other facilities at similar wavelengths taking into account the difference in the fields of view. Based on the observed mixing ratios of organic molecules in four bright comets including C/2014 Q2, we find some support for atom addition reactions on cold dust being the origin of some of the molecules.
Twin STEREO spacecraft pre-perihelion photometric and polarimetric observations of the sungrazing Kreutz comet C/2010 E6 (STEREO) in March 2010 at heliocentric distances $3-28 R_{odot}$ were investigated using a newly-created set of analysis routines. The comet fully disintegrated during its perihelion passage. Prior to that, a broadening and an increase of the intensity peak with decreasing heliocentric distance was accompanied by a drop to zero polarisation at high phase angles (~105-135{deg}, STEREO-B) and the emergence of negative polarisation at low phase angles (~25-35{deg}, STEREO-A). Outside the near-comet region, the tail exhibited a steep slope of increasing polarisation with increasing cometocentric distance, with the slope showing a marked decrease with decreasing heliocentric distance. The steep slope is attributed to sublimation of refractory organic matrix and the accompanied processing of the fluffy aggregate dust grains, exposing silicates. The decrease in slope is likely caused by the gradual sublimation of all refractory material closer to the Sun, with resulting gases suppressing polarisation signal of the dust. Near-zero polarisation closer to the comet head may be explained by the same mechanism, stronger there due to the large amounts of material being ejected and sublimated from the presumably disintegrating core, which correlates with intensity data. Negative polarisation at small phase angles may be explained by the presence of freshly ejected large silicate-rich aggregates. Despite both zero and negative polarisation being observed simultaneously, the two hypotheses on their causes are not easily reconciled. The need for further studies of such comets, both observational and theoretical, is highlighted.
We present results of two-year photometric monitoring of Comet C/2011 J2 (LINEAR) that spans the time period from February 2013 through December 2014, before and after perihelion passage. The observations were conducted with broadband R filter. Analysis of observations of Comet C/2011 J2 (LINEAR) allows estimating the nucleus radius as function of geometric albedo and phase-darkening coefficient. Furthermore, our observations showed split of the comet. Fragment (B) additional to the primary C/2011 J2 nucleus was unambiguously detected; relative velocity is estimated to be near 0.17 /day. We derive the Afrho parameter and estimate the dust production rate in Comet C/2011 J2 (LINEAR) over the entire run of observations. We found a noticeable increase in Afrho parameter between September 18, 2014 and November 5, 2014, epoch when the nucleus presumably got split. On September 28, 2014, we observed a transit of the 16-magnitude star (USNO-A2 1275-18299027) near nucleus of the Comet C/2011 J2 (LINEAR). We retrieve the optical depth of the coma 0.034. The filling factor f that corresponds to such optical depth is in good quantitative agreement with the value that can be derived from the Afrho parameter under reasonable assumption on geometric albedo of cometary dust.
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