Abstract
Long-period comets are, on average, more luminous than short-period ones. This paper considers the recent observations of the nucleus of comet Halley, in conjunction with the results of the modelling of the accretion process that is most probably responsible for cometary origin. It now seems that simple physical processes such as a rounding off and removal and/or settling of bumps and prominences protruding from the nucleus plus a change in the percentage of the nucleus surface that is active could account for the fading that occurs just after jovian cometary capture.
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Hughes, D. Cometary magnitude distribution and the fading of comets. Nature 325, 231–232 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/325231a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/325231a0
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