HR: 0800h
AN: P31A-0974    [Abstracts]
TI: Estimates of Production Rates for Comets C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) and C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) Derived from Polar UVI Observations
AU: * Spasojevic, M
EM: maria@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Univ of California, Berkeley, Space Sciences Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Fillingim, M O
EM: matt@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Univ of California, Berkeley, Space Sciences Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Parks, G K
EM: parks@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Univ of California, Berkeley, Space Sciences Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AB: During April and May of 2004, the Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) onboard the Polar spacecraft was in the unique position to observe two comets near their perihelion: C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) and C/2002 T7 (LINEAR). Using its suite of four far ultraviolet filters, UVI is able to observe atomic oxygen emissions at 130.4 nm and atomic carbon emissions at 156.1 nm and 165.7 nm. The photon flux is directly related to the production rates for these atoms. From the oxygen and carbon production rates, we are able to estimate the production rates of CO, OH, and water. Initial analysis shows that both comets are very dim in the far ultraviolet and are not easily detected by UVI. We are able to derive upper limits to the production rates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of observations of these comets in the far ultraviolet region.
DE: 6008 Composition
DE: 6062 Satellites
DE: 6210 Comets
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting