Abstract Spectrophotometric observations of comet Giacobini-Zinner were obtained on 11 September 1985. C2 and NH2 were found to be depleted in Giacobini-Zinner relative to an average comet by factors of 10 and 5, respectively. The ratio of the production rates, Q(NH 2)/Q(H 2 O) = 2 × 10−4 indicates a very low NH3/H2O abundance ratio if NH2 comes mostly from photodissociation of NH3. The water production rate for Giacobini-Zinner at the time of the ICE encounter was found to be 2.4 × 1028 molecules s−1, in good agreement with spacecraft results. Neither neutral Na nor C2 + ion was detected in the ground-based spectrum at the time of the ICE encounter. Therefore, Na+ and C2 + can be excluded from the candidates for the ions in the mass range 23 to 24 amu detected by the ICE ion composition instrument.
Atomic and molecular abundances in comet Giacobini-Zinner
Advances in Space Research ; 9 , 3 ; 163-168
01.01.1989
6 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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