In:
International Astronomical Union Colloquium, Cambridge University Press (CUP), Vol. 85 ( 1985), p. 287-291
Abstract:
There are three factors that inhibit detecting small comets relative to large comets: 1. They must pass closer to the Earth than large comets to be detected. 2. The resulting higher angular velocity for nearby comets means that, at comparable apparent magnitudes, there is less time available to discover a small comet relative to a large comet. 3. Small comets physically decay and vanish faster than do large comets. With these three factors, it can be shown that if the small comet input distribution g i (R n ) in varies as , where R n is the nuclear radius of the comet, then the observed distribution will vary as
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0252-9211
DOI:
10.1017/S0252921100084815
Language:
English
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Publication Date:
1985
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