The Many Influences on Comets' Tails
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Mullard Space Science Laboratory
Abstract
Comets' icy nuclei, typically measuring only a few kilometres across, carry invaluable information on the origins of our Solar System. In addition, the processes through which they release gas and dust when heated by the Sun, and the behaviour of that material after it leaves the nucleus, tells us a great deal about the environment surrounding each comet.
The dust grains that are released from comets follow orbits around the Sun that are affected by the solar radiation: photons striking these tiny grains push them away in the direction opposite to the pull of the Sun's gravitational field, creating a dust tail. For very small grains, this radiation force can be strong enough to overcome gravity and can blow them out of the solar system! The gases that are released get ionized, and join the flow of the solar wind. These dynamic, glowing ion tails tell us about the changing activity levels of the comet and the variations in the solar wind itself (e.g. Ramajooloo & Jones 2022).
Recent work in our group has revealed strong evidence of solar wind effects on dust tails too (e.g. Price+ 2019, 2022): extensive dust tails have been found to be moulded and re-arranged by the effects of the fast flow of charged material from the Sun, through processes that we don't fully understand. This PhD project would build upon this tantalizing work, through the analysis of imaging data obtained by professional and amateur astronomers on Earth, by space-based imagers that are primarily designed to study the Sun and its near-environment, and with newly-gathered images. As well as helping us better understand the expected influence of sunlight and the solar wind on the comets' dust and ion tails, the research would involve searching for further evidence for the solar wind's effects on dust tails, and applying our understanding of structures in the solar wind through instruments such as those on the Solar Orbiter spacecraft, to try to determine the processes responsible for rearranging dust tail material in particular. The outcome of this research is expected to benefit preparations for ESA's Comet Interceptor mission, due for launch in 2029.
The dust grains that are released from comets follow orbits around the Sun that are affected by the solar radiation: photons striking these tiny grains push them away in the direction opposite to the pull of the Sun's gravitational field, creating a dust tail. For very small grains, this radiation force can be strong enough to overcome gravity and can blow them out of the solar system! The gases that are released get ionized, and join the flow of the solar wind. These dynamic, glowing ion tails tell us about the changing activity levels of the comet and the variations in the solar wind itself (e.g. Ramajooloo & Jones 2022).
Recent work in our group has revealed strong evidence of solar wind effects on dust tails too (e.g. Price+ 2019, 2022): extensive dust tails have been found to be moulded and re-arranged by the effects of the fast flow of charged material from the Sun, through processes that we don't fully understand. This PhD project would build upon this tantalizing work, through the analysis of imaging data obtained by professional and amateur astronomers on Earth, by space-based imagers that are primarily designed to study the Sun and its near-environment, and with newly-gathered images. As well as helping us better understand the expected influence of sunlight and the solar wind on the comets' dust and ion tails, the research would involve searching for further evidence for the solar wind's effects on dust tails, and applying our understanding of structures in the solar wind through instruments such as those on the Solar Orbiter spacecraft, to try to determine the processes responsible for rearranging dust tail material in particular. The outcome of this research is expected to benefit preparations for ESA's Comet Interceptor mission, due for launch in 2029.
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST/Y509784/1 | 01/10/2023 | 01/10/2028 | |||
| 2881703 | Studentship | ST/Y509784/1 | 01/10/2023 | 31/03/2027 | Jake Hanlon |