[Previous] | [Session 16] | [Next]
P.J. Guti\'errez, J.L. Ortiz, R. Rodrigo, J.J. L\'opez-Moreno (IAA)
A computer code has been developed to derive water production rates for rotating irregularly shaped nuclei with topography (both craters and mountains) as a function of heliocentric distance. The code solves the surface energy balance equation including heat diffusion in the normal direction and taking into account shadowing effects, for any combination of orbital parameters, spin axis orientation, rotation period, and physical properties of the nucleus (geometric albedo, emissivity, thermodynamical properties). Preliminary results are presented for several representative objects.
The research described in this abstract is being carried out at the Instituto de Astrof\'{i}sica de Andaluc\'{i}a and is supported by the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnolog\'{i}a under contracts ESP96-0623 and ESP97-1773-CO3-01.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: pedroj@iaa.es