Abstract
MEASUREMENTS of the strength of permitted spectral lines from neutral oxygen in comets should provide both a better understanding of gas dynamics in comets and an assessment of whether the production ratio of oxygen to hydrogen in comet atmospheres is close to a half. If this ratio is confirmed, it would provide strong support for the growing evidence1 that the ‘parent’ molecules which make up the solid comet nucleus are dominantly H2O.
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BYARD, P., NEWSOM, G. Neutral oxygen in comets. Nature 249, 433–434 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/249433a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/249433a0
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