Analyses of dust coma morphology of Comet Hyakutake (1996 B2) near perigee: outburst behavior, jet motion, source region locations, and nucleus pole orientation

We present inner-coma dust imaging of Comet Hyakutake (1996 B2) obtained on 11 consecutive nights in late March 1996, an interval including a major outburst and the comet’s closest approach to Earth. The evolution of the outburst morphology is followed, along with the motion along the tail of several outburst fragments. Two spiral dust jets—a primary jet, along with a much weaker secondary jet—are visible throughout the interval and are produced by two source regions on a rotating nucleus. These are examined as a function of rotational phase and viewing geometry, with their appearance changing from a nearly face-on view on March 18 to side-on by March 28. The dust outflow velocity as a function of distance from the nucleus is derived, with the dust continuing to accelerate to a distance of 4000 km or more and reaching an average outflow velocity of 0.38 km s −1 between 3000 and 8000 km. We present details of our Monte Carlo modeling of the jets and our methodology of fitting the model to the images. The modeling yields the pole orientation of the nucleus, with an obliquity of approximately 108°, corresponding to an RA of 13 h41 m and a Dec of −1.1°. For an assumed spherical nucleus, the primary active region is centered at approximately −66° latitude, has a radius of about 56°, and therefore covers about 22% of the surface. The source of the secondary jet is at a latitude of −28°, has a radius of about 16°, and is located at a longitude nearly 180° away from the primary source. Estimated uncertainties for the pole orientation and the source locations and sizes are each about 3°. This solution for the nucleus orientation and source locations explains the strong asymmetry in measured production rates before and after perihelion in radio observations (Biver et al., 1999, Astron. J. 118, 1850–1872). The modeling also tightly constrains the sidereal rotation period as 0.2618 ± 0.0001 day, completely consistent with the expected +0.0003 day difference from the observed solar rotation period of 0.2614 ± 0.0004 day determined by Schleicher and Osip (2002, Icarus 159, 210–233), given the pole orientation and position of the comet in its orbit.