the study of comets is of great importance to our understanding of the solar system and its origin. comets comprise the most primitive material in the solar system and observations of their composition are diagnostic of the environment in which they formed. in recent taxonomic classification of comets, we have clearly separated out the majority (virgul70%) of comets having typical molecular abundances from a second distinct class of comets that exhibit significant depletions in the carbon-chain species (c2 and c3). the iso guaranteed time targets; p/kopff, p/churyumov-gerasimenko, and p/wild 2 are all members of the typical class of comets. the carbon-chain depleted class of comets must be studied in similar detail as those of the typical class if we are indeed to gain a firm understanding of the processes that took place during the early solar system. two of the three most extreme members of the the carbon-chain depleted class are positioned favorably for observations by iso. with an autumn launch, comet p/iras would be the target. for a spring launch, the target would be p/wolf-harrington, the most extreme member of this class, with p/iras serving as a secondary target. these targets have gas and dust production levels approximately a factor of 3-5 below that of the principal gto target, p/kopff and about 1% the production of p/halley. results from this observational programme are highly complementary to the guaranteed time observations of comets [pi, e.gruen].
Instrument
PHT03 , PHT40
Temporal Coverage
1996-11-21T11:44:20Z/1996-11-26T12:48:24Z
Version
1.0
Mission Description
The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) was the world's 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, 1998, Spectral Analysis Of \D_Commacarbon-Chain Depleted\D_Comma Comets., 1.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-k0vuqkq
