1.
Astrophys J
; 531(2): L155-L159, 2000 Mar 10.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10688776
ABSTRACT
Ethane and carbon monoxide were detected in a short-period comet of probable Kuiper Belt origin. Ethane is substantially less abundant compared with Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp, two comets from the giant-planet region of the solar nebula, suggesting a heliocentric gradient in ethane in precometary ices. It is argued that processing by X-rays from the young Sun may be responsible.