The Evolving Photometric Lightcurve of Comet 1P/Halley's Coma During the 1985/86 Apparition

TL;DR

This study analyzes the complex rotational behavior and evolving photometric lightcurve of Comet 1P/Halley during its 1985/86 apparition, revealing non-smooth period variations and correlations with tail disconnection events.

Contribution

It provides detailed analysis of Halley's complex rotation, its impact on lightcurve shape, and introduces a synthetic lightcurve model based on observational data.

Findings

Lightcurve shape varies systematically every 8-9 weeks.

Detected phase shift indicating a beat frequency of 16-18 weeks.

Correlation between tail disconnection events and gas production minima.

Abstract

We present new analyses of the photometric lightcurve of Comet 1P/Halley during its 1985/86 apparition. As part of a world-wide campaign coordinated by the International Halley Watch (IHW), narrowband photometry was obtained with telescopes at 18 observatories. Following submissions to and basic reductions by the Photometry and Polarimetry Network of the IHW, we computed production rates and created composite lightcurves for each species. These were used to measure how the apparent rotational period (~7.35 day), along with its shape, evolved with time during the apparition. The lightcurve shape systematically varied from double-peaked to triple-peaked and back again every 8-9 weeks, due to Halley's non-principal axis (complex) rotation and the associated component periods. Unexpectedly, we found a phase shift of one-half cycle also took place during this interval, and therefore the actual beat frequency between the component periods is twice this interval or 16-18 weeks. Preliminary modeling suggests that a single source might produce the entire post-perihelion lightcurve variability and associated evolution. The detailed evolution of the apparent period varied in a non-smooth manner between 7.2 and 7.6 day, likely due to a combination of synodic effects and the interaction of solar illumination with isolated source regions on a body in complex rotation. The need to simultaneously reproduce each of these characteristics will provide very strong additional constraints on Halley's component periods associated with its complex rotation. To assist in these and future analyses, we created a synthetic lightcurve based directly on the measured data. We unexpectedly discovered a strong correlation of ion tail disconnection event start times with minima in the comet's gas production, implying that a decrease in outgassing is another cause of these events.