Detection of CO and Ethane in Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner: Evidence for Variable Chemistry in the Outer Solar Nebula
Open Access
- 10 March 2000
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Astronomical Society in The Astrophysical Journal
- Vol. 531 (2) , L155-L159
- https://doi.org/10.1086/312530
Abstract
Ethane and carbon monoxide were detected in a short-period comet of probable Kuiper Belt origin. Ethane is substantially less abundant compared with Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp, two comets from the giant-planet region of the solar nebula, suggesting a heliocentric gradient in ethane in precometary ices. It is argued that processing by X-rays from the young Sun may be responsible.Keywords
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