Gemini and Lowell Observations of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko During the Rosetta Mission

TL;DR

This study provides extensive observational data of comet 67P during the Rosetta mission, revealing stable dust activity, jet features, and outbursts, with modeling supporting consistent active regions over multiple apparitions.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive multi-wavelength observational dataset and analysis of 67P, including dust morphology, activity patterns, and outburst detection, enhancing understanding of comet behavior during the Rosetta mission.

Findings

Dust morphology consistent over three apparitions

Detected jet features and asymmetries in the coma

Observed outbursts on specific dates without morphological changes

Abstract

We present observations of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko acquired in support of the $Rosetta$ mission. We obtained usable data on 68 nights from 2014 September until 2016 May, with data acquired regularly whenever the comet was observable. We collected an extensive set of near-IR $J$, $H$, and $Ks$ data throughout the apparition plus visible-light images in $g'$, $r'$, $i'$, and $z'$ when the comet was fainter. We also obtained broadband $R$ and narrowband $CN$ filter observations when the comet was brightest using telescopes at Lowell Observatory. The appearance was dominated by a central condensation and the tail until 2015 June. From 2015 August onwards there were clear asymmetries in the coma, which enhancements revealed to be due to the presence of up to three features (i.e., jets). The features were similar in all broadband filters; $CN$ images did not show these features but were instead broadly enhanced in the southeastern hemisphere. Modeling using the parameters from Vincent et al. (2013) replicated the dust morphology reasonably well, indicating that the pole orientation and locations of active areas have been relatively unchanged over at least the last three apparitions. The dust production, as measured by $A(0^{\circ})f{\rho}$ peaked $\sim$30 days after perihelion and was consistent with predictions from previous apparitions. $A(0^{\circ})f{\rho}$ as a function of heliocentric distance was well fit by a power-law with slope $-$4.2 from 35-120 days post-perihelion. We detected photometric evidence of apparent outbursts on 2015 August 22 and 2015 September 19, although neither was discernible morphologically in this dataset.