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dc.contributor.authorRubin, M.
dc.contributor.authorAltwegg, K.
dc.contributor.authorBalsiger, H.
dc.contributor.authorBerthelier, J.-J.
dc.contributor.authorCombi, M.R.
dc.contributor.authorDe Keyser, J.
dc.contributor.authorDrozdovskaya, M.
dc.contributor.authorFiethe, B.
dc.contributor.authorFuselier, S.A.
dc.contributor.authorGasc, S.
dc.contributor.authorGombosi, T.I.
dc.contributor.authorHänni, N.
dc.contributor.authorHansen, K.C.
dc.contributor.authorMall, U.
dc.contributor.authorRème, H.
dc.contributor.authorSchroeder, I.R.H.G.
dc.contributor.authorSchuhmann, M.
dc.contributor.authorSémon, T.
dc.contributor.authorWaite, J.H.
dc.contributor.authorWampfler, S.F.
dc.contributor.authorWurz, P.
dc.date2019
dc.date.accessioned2019-08-26T11:51:53Z
dc.date.available2019-08-26T11:51:53Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://orfeo.belnet.be/handle/internal/7345
dc.descriptionComets are considered to be some of the most pristine and unprocessed Solar system objects accessible to in situ exploration. Investigating their molecular and elemental composition takes us on a journey back to the early period of our Solar system and possibly even further. In this work, we deduce the bulk abundances of the major volatile species in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the target of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta mission. The basis are measurements obtained with the ROSINA instrument suite on board the Rosetta orbiter during a suitable period of high outgassing near perihelion. The results are combined with both gas and dust composition measurements published in the literature. This provides an integrated inventory of the major elements present in the nucleus of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Similar to comet 1P/Halley, which was visited by ESA’s Giotto spacecraft in 1986, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko also shows near-solar abundances of oxygen and carbon, whereas hydrogen and nitrogen are depleted compared to solar. Still, the degree of devolatilization is lower than that of inner Solar system objects, including meteorites and the Earth. This supports the idea that comets are amongst the most pristine objects in our Solar system.
dc.languageeng
dc.titleElemental and molecular abundances in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
dc.typeArticle
dc.subject.frascatiPhysical sciences
dc.audienceScientific
dc.subject.freecomets
dc.subject.free67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
dc.source.titleMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
dc.source.volume489
dc.source.issue1
dc.source.page594-607
Orfeo.peerreviewedYes
dc.identifier.doi10.1093/mnras/stz2086


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