A model of the dust tail of comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS)
| 1Kharchuk, SV, 1Korsun, PP 1Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Kinemat. fiz. nebesnyh tel (Online) 2015, 31(1):52-57 |
| Start Page: Dynamics and Physics of Solar System Bodies |
| Language: Ukrainian |
Abstract: Our results of dynamic modelling of the dust tail formation for the comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) are presented. To simulate the dust tail, the trajectories of 100 million dust particles were traced. Their sizes, ejection moments, outflow directions and velocities were defined by a Monte Carlo algorithm. The obtained three-dimensional model tail was projected on the sky plane to compare with the observed images. The brightness distribution and synchronic features in the comet tail were fitted. According to our model experiments, the observed tail could be formed by particles with sizes from 0.22 to 82 m, with ejection velocities from 460 to 12 m/s and with a power index of the size distribution of –3.1. Our model experiments showed that the rotation period of the comet is 17.2 hours. |
| Keywords: C/2011 L4, dust tail of comet |
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