Cometary research

Mr. Pitt's Telescope: A Short History of the 27-Inch Reflector at the University of Kansas

Many problems of determining the chemical composition of comets and studying the physical processes in cometary nuclei can only be solved by using observational data in the UV range of the electromagnetic spectrum (115–300 nm). Cometary observations have a number of features in comparison with such studies of other astronomical objects. The World Space Observatory — Ultraviolet mission, planned for launch in 2021, will overcome most of the challenges in these studies and will be able to become an essential tool of cometary UV research in the following decade.

The DLR small simulation chamber: A tool for cometary research in the lab

Some novel aspects of cometary research

Quantitative descriptions of environments near the nucleus of comet P/Halley have been developed to support spacecraft and mission design for the flyby encounters in March, 1986. To summarize these models as they exist just before the encounters, we review the relevant data from prior Halley apparitions and from recent cometary research. Orbital elements, visual magnitudes, and parameter values and analysis for the nucleus, gas and dust are combined to predict Halley's position, production rates, gas and dust distributions, and electromagnetic radiation field for the current perihelion passage. The predicted numerical results have been useful for estimating likely spacecraft effects, such as impact damage and attitude perturbation. Sample applications are cited, including design of a dust shield for spacecraft structure, and threshold and dynamic range selection for flight experiments. We expect that the comet's activity may be more irregular than these smoothly varying models predict, and that comparison with the flyby data will be instructive.