Molecular spectroscopy; High resolution spectroscopy; Near infrared astronomy; comets
Abstract :
[en] The 2018 perihelion passage of comet 46P/Wirtanen afforded an opportunity to measure the abundances and spatial distributions of coma volatiles in a Jupiter-family comet with exceptional spatial resolution for several weeks surrounding its closest approach to Earth (Δ ∼0.078 au on UT December 16). We conducted near-infrared spectroscopic observations of 46P/Wirtanen using iSHELL at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on UT 2018 December 18 in direct coordination with observations using the newly upgraded NIRSPEC-2 instrument at the W. M. Keck Observatory, and securely detected fluorescent emission from CH3/OH, C2H6, and H2O. This coordinated campaign utilizing the two premier near-infrared facilities in the northern hemisphere enabled us to sample distinct projections of the coma into the plane of the sky simultaneously, and provided an unprecedented view into the inner coma of 46P/Wirtanen near closest approach. We report rotational temperatures, production rates, and abundance ratios (i.e., mixing ratios) for all sampled species and compare our iSHELL results to simultaneous (or near-simultaneous) measurements taken with NIRSPEC-2. We demonstrate the extraordinary synergy of coordinated measurements using iSHELL and NIRSPEC-2, and advocate for future cometary studies that jointly leverage the capabilities of these two facilities.
Disciplines :
Space science, astronomy & astrophysics
Author, co-author :
Roth, Nathan X.; Visiting Astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract NNH14CK55B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ; Solar System Exploration Division, Astrochemistry Laboratory Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA ; Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD 21046, USA
Bonev, Boncho P.; Visiting Astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract NNH14CK55B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ; Department of Physics, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA
DiSanti, Michael A.; Visiting Astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract NNH14CK55B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ; Solar System Exploration Division, Planetary Systems Laboratory Code 693, NASA-GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Dello Russo, Neil; Visiting Astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract NNH14CK55B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ; Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
McKay, Adam J.; Visiting Astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract NNH14CK55B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ; Department of Physics, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA ; Solar System Exploration Division, Planetary Systems Laboratory Code 693, NASA-GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Gibb, Erika L.; Visiting Astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract NNH14CK55B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ; Department of Physics & Astronomy 1 University Boulevard, University of Missouri-St.Louis, St. Louis, MO 63121, USA
Saki, Mohammad; Visiting Astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract NNH14CK55B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ; Department of Physics & Astronomy 1 University Boulevard, University of Missouri-St.Louis, St. Louis, MO 63121, USA
Khan, Younas; Visiting Astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract NNH14CK55B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ; Department of Physics & Astronomy 1 University Boulevard, University of Missouri-St.Louis, St. Louis, MO 63121, USA
Vervack, Ronald J.; Visiting Astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract NNH14CK55B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ; Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
Kawakita, Hideyo; Visiting Astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract NNH14CK55B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ; Koyama Astronomical Observatory, Kyoto Sangyo University, Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8555, Japan
Cochran, Anita L.; University of Texas at Austin/McDonald Observatory, 2512 Speedway, Stop C1402, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Biver, Nicolas; LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon, France
Cordiner, Martin A.; Solar System Exploration Division, Astrochemistry Laboratory Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA ; Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington DC, USA
Crovisier, Jacques; LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon, France
Jehin, Emmanuel ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Origines Cosmologiques et Astrophysiques (OrCa)
Weaver, Harold; Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA)
A’Hearn, M. F., Belton, M. J. S., Delamere, W. A., (2011) Sci, 332, p. 1396
A’Hearn, M. F., Millis, R. L., Schleicher, D. G., Osip, D. J., Birch, V. P., (1995) Icar, 118, p. 223
Biver, N., Bockelée-Morvan, D., Boissier, J., (2021) A&A, , press
Biver, N., Bockelée-Morvan, D., Crovisier, J., (1999) AJ, 118, p. 1850
Bockelée-Morvan, D., Biver, N., (2017) PTRSA, 375, p. 20160252
Bockelée-Morvan, D., Crovisier, J., Colom, P., Despois, D., (1994) A&A, 287, p. 647
Bockelée-Morvan, D., Crovisier, J., Mumma, M. J., Weaver, H. A., (2004) Comets II, p. 391. , ed. H. U., Keller & H. A., Weaver (Tucson, AZ: Univ. Arizona Press)
Bockelée-Morvan, D., Henry, F., Biver, N., (2009) A&A, 505, p. 825
Handzlik, B., Drahus, M., Kurowski, S., (2019) EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019, 13, p. 1775
Haser, L., (1957) BSRSL, 43, p. 740
Huebner, W. F., Keady, J. J., Lyon, S. P., (1992) Ap&SS, 195, p. 1
Jehin, E., Moulane, Y., Manfroid, J., Pozuelos, F., (2018) CBET, 4585, p. 1
Khan, Y., Gibb, E. L., Bonev, B. P., (2021) PSJ, 2, p. 20
Lis, D. C., Bockelée-Morvan, D., Boissier, J., (2008) ApJ, 675, p. 931
Lis, D. C., Bockelée-Morvan, D., Güsten, R., (2019) A&A, 625, p. L5
Luspay-Kuti, A., Hässig, M., Fuselier, S. A., (2015) A&A, 583, p. A4
Martin, E. C., Fitzgerald, M. P., McLean, I. S., (2018) Proc. SPIE, 10702, p. 107020A
Martin, E. C., Fitzgerald, M. P., McLean, I. S., Kress, E., Wang, E., (2016) Proc. SPIE, 9908, p. 99082R
McMullin, J. P., Waters, B., Schiebel, D., Young, W., Golap, K., (2007) Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XVI ASP Conf. Ser, 376, p. 127. , ed. R. A. Shaw, F. Hill, & D. J. Bell (San Francisco, CA: ASP)
Milam, S. N., Remijan, A. J., Womack, M., (2006) ApJ, 649, p. 1169
Mumma, M. J., Charnley, S. B., (2011) ARA&A, 49, p. 471
Rayner, J., Bond, T., Bonnet, M., (2012) Proc. SPIE, 8446, p. 84462C
Rayner, J., Tokunaga, A., Jaffe, D., (2016) Proc. SPIE, 9908, p. 990884
Roth, N. X., Bonev, B. P., DiSanti, M. A., (2021) PSJ, 2, p. 54
Samarasinha, N. H., Mueller, B. E. A., Belton, M. J. S., (1996) P&SS, 44, p. 275
Schöier, F. L., van der Tak, F. F. S., van Dishoeck, E. F., Black, J. H., (2005) A&A, 432, p. 369
Wang, Z., Zhang, S. B., Tseng, W. L., (2020) AJ, 159, p. 240
