Related papers: Implications of the Small Spin Changes Measured fo…
We report new lightcurves and phase functions for nine Jupiter-family comets (JFCs). They were observed in the period 2004-2015 with various ground telescopes as part of the Survey of Ensemble Physical Properties of Cometary Nuclei…
We estimate the total number and the slope of the size frequency distribution (SFD) of dormant Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs) by fitting a one-parameter model to the known population. We first select 61 Near Earth Objects (NEOs) that are…
We present photometry on 23 Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs) observed at large heliocentric distance, primarily using the 2.5m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). Snap-shot images were taken of 17 comets, of which 5 were not detected, 3 were active…
Jupiter Family comets (JFCs) are short period comets which have recently entered the inner solar system, having previously orbited in the Kuiper Belt since the formation of the planets. We used two nights on the 3.6m New Technology…
Cometary outgassing can produce torques that change the spin state of the nucleus, influencing the evolution and lifetimes of comets (1,2). If these torques spin up the rotation to the point that centripetal forces exceed the material…
Jupiter-family Comets (JFCs) exhibit a wide range of activity levels and mass-loss over their orbits. We analyzed high-cadence observations of 42 active JFCs with the wide-field Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) survey…
Context. Jupiter-family comets (JFCs), which originate from the Kuiper belt and scattered disk, exhibit low-inclination and chaotic trajectories due to close encounters with Jupiter. Despite their typically short incursions into the inner…
In this thesis I present measurements of the physical properties of the nuclei of Jupiter Family comets (JFCs), based on time-series observations. From the time-series photometry rotation rates and elongations were measured, and from these…
Samarasinha & Mueller (2013) related changes of cometary rotation to other physical parameters for four Jupiter family comets defining a parameter $X$, which is approximately constant within a factor of two irrespective of the active…
Recent spacecraft and radar observations have found that ~70 percent of short-period comet nuclei, mostly Jupiter-family comets (JFCs), have bilobate shapes (two masses connected by a narrow neck). This is in stark contrast to the shapes of…
Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) have orbital periods of less than 20 years and therefore undergo more frequent sublimation compared to other comet populations. The JFCs therefore represent the ideal dynamical population for investigating the…
We present results from SEPPCoN, an on-going Survey of the Ensemble Physical Properties of Cometary Nuclei. In this report we discuss mid-infrared measurements of the thermal emission from 89 nuclei of Jupiter-family comets (JFCs). All data…
Large and deep depressions, also known as pits, are observed at the surface of all Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs) imaged by spacecraft missions. They offer the opportunity to glimpse into sub-surface characteristics of comet nuclei, and study…
We present time-series data on Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs) 17P/Holmes, 47P/Ashbrook-Jackson and 137P/Shoemaker-Levy 2. In addition we also present results from `snap-shot' observations of comets 43P/Wolf-Harrington, 44P/Reinmuth 2,…
We present a dynamical study of 39 active Centaurs and 17 high-perihelion (q$>$4.5 au) JFCs with a focus on investigating recent orbital changes as potential triggers for comet-like activity. We have identified a common feature in the…
It has long been hypothesised that the Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) come from the scattered disc, an unstable planetesimal population beyond Neptune. This viewpoint has been widely accepted, but a few issues remain, the most prominent of…
Motion of many comets is affected by non-gravitational forces caused by outgassing from their surfaces. Outgassing also produces reactive torques resulting in cometary spin evolution. We propose that the two processes are correlated and…
We present an updated cumulative size distribution (CSD) for Jupiter Family comet (JFC) nuclei, including a rigourous assessment of the uncertainty on the slope of the CSD. The CSD is expressed as a power law, N(>r_N) \propto r_N^{-q},…
We investigate the size-frequency distribution of Jupiter Family comets to determine whether they are primordial accreted objects or collisional fragments. We develop a list of effective radii and their uncertainties for 161 active JFCs and…
An attempt to determine spatial location of the main source of short-period comet nuclei was made. There were carried out numerical calculations for orbit evolution of Jupiter family comets, comets with middle-period orbits and bodies of…