Abstract A study of comet Halley's outer plasma environment is presented. It is argued that the intermediate transition detected nearly half way between the comet's bow shock and the cometopause represents the outer boundary of a thick friction layer that develops along the flanks of the cometopause. In the subsolar region the cometopause and the intermediate transition are expected to reach nearly the same (∼ 3.5 10(5) km) distance from the nucleus. The plasma changes seen in the outer ionosheath (between the bow shock and the intermediate transition) are further interpreted as due to an intrinsic axial asymmetry of the cometopause which may have a highly oblate cross-sectional shape with respect to the solar wind direction.
Geometry of comet Halley's outer plasma environment
Advances in Space Research ; 9 , 3 ; 319-324
01.01.1989
6 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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