we propose to observe the source of cometary dust trails, that is, where the dust trails connect to the coma and nucleus of the comet. in previous observations from the central program (jdavies.jkdtrail), we observed the trail of p/kopff at 3 different offsets ahead and behind the nucleus. because the trails are so long (tens of degrees) compared to the field of view of the isocam (3 arcmin), it is only possible to observe patches of the trail. in the pervious proposal we observed more than 0.5 degrees from the comet, and here we propose to observe the crucial patches close to the cometary nucleus. the largest dust particles, which are weakly coupled to the gas, remain close to the nucleus longest, so we will observe the largest and most fresh. the production rate of trail particles will be best constrained by comparing the trail brightness near its source to that further away. we selected 4 comets already planned in the central program for observation 1 degree from the nucleus.
Instrument
CAM01
Temporal Coverage
1997-07-14T00:07:12Z/1997-07-27T22:54:03Z
Version
1.0
Mission Description
The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) was the worlds first true orbiting infrared observatory. Equipped with four highly-sophisticated and versatile scientific instruments, it was launched by Ariane in November 1995 and provided astronomers world-wide with a facility of unprecedented sensitivity and capabilities for a detailed exploration of the Universe at infrared wavelengths.
European Space Agency, REACH et al., 1998, 'IMAGING THE SOURCE OF COMETARY DUST TRAILS', 1.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-8tjjx46
