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(meteorobs) MPlist Fwd: New Observations Of Comet Hale-Bopp From La Silla


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From: "Festou Michel" <festou@boulder.swridot edu>
To: <mplist@bitnik.com>
Subject: New Observations Of Comet Hale-Bopp From La Silla
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 14:14:25 -0800

Ron, again, is making lots of noise (actually, he is only relaying what=20
R. West at ESO says in his PRs) for what is A NON discovery. Comet=20
HB was found to be active (i.e. releasing CO and HCN molecules,=20
and probably other volatiles) well before water has started to sublimate =

when the comet was observed pre-perihelion (see, e.g. the paper by=20
Weaver et al. published in Science magazine in 97). CO and HCN=20
could leave the comet nucleus without water molecules helping them=20
when the comet was at about 6 AU from the sun pre-P. Water (or, more=20
exactly  OH) was not found, despite thorough searches before the comet=20
was within 5 AU from the Sun. Why would it be surprising that the=20
same CO and HCN molecules find their way towards vacuum when=20
water molecules are all locked up in sub 160K ices thare are=20
characteristic of comets heading towards their aphelion?
M. Festou.

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