Cometary Outbursts and Evolution of Ejected Particles

Abstract

The Dust Trail kit model is a recently developed robust framework for understanding the complex behavior of cometary dust trails resulting from outbursts. The model takes into account factors such as solar radiation pressure, gravitational perturbations from celestial bodies, and interactions between particles and the parent comet. The model accuracy relies on assumptions about outburst particle characteristics, prompting the timely collection of observations from recent events such as the comet 12P/Pons-Brooks outbursts. As the utilization of remote and robotic observatories proves crucial for the efficient collection of real-time data, we incorporate these contemporary observations and include a review of past cases, such as the comet 17P/Holmes. These data serve to validate the model through comparisons with earlier observations and to enchance predictions for dust trail behavior. Through the comparison of these predictions with recent observations, we demonstrate the model efficacy in describing the long-term evolution of cometary dust trails. © 2025: Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.