Abstract : The television system (TVS) aboard the spacecraft Vega 1 and Vega 2 observed comet Halley from 4 to 11 March 1986, and transmitted ∼1,500 images to Earth. The best images of the cometary nucleus were obtained from distances of 8,000–9,000 km. The nucleus is an irregular potato-shaped body, ∼14 × 7.5 × 7.5 km in size, which rotates with a period of 53±3 h. The surface is rather dark; the measured albedo is ∼0.04−0.01+0.02. Active emission of matter was observed on the sunlit side of the nucleus.
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-03585248 Contributor : Catherine CardonConnect in order to contact the contributor Submitted on : Wednesday, February 23, 2022 - 9:21:54 AM Last modification on : Friday, May 6, 2022 - 2:54:41 PM
R. Sagdeev, F. Szabó, G. Avanesov, P. Cruvellier, L. Szabó, et al.. Television observations of comet Halley from Vega spacecraft. Nature, Nature Publishing Group, 1986, 321 (S6067), pp.262-266. ⟨10.1038/321262a0⟩. ⟨insu-03585248⟩