Abstract
Ultraviolet measurements made by Voyager 2, apparently showing a rapid decrease in hydrogen Lyman-α emission with distance from the Sun, were taken by Donahue et al.1 as evidence for a source of atomic hydrogen in the very local interstellar medium (VLISM). The suggested source1 is a class of small comets, at solar distances of ˜1 AU, that produce atomic hydrogen as their icy mantle is evaporated. This claim has been adduced as evidence for a theory2 that the Earth is subject to a large influx of cometary material, significantly affecting atmospheric evolution. Here we analyse again the Voyager 2 data, and show that no source of hydrogen in the VLSIM is required other than the inflow of neutral atoms; the original analysis was apparently flawed by an erroneous transcription of tabulated data (T. M. Donahue, personal communication).
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Donahue, T. M., Gombosi, T. I., Sandel, B. R. Nature 330, 548–550 (1987).
Frank, L. A., Sigwarth, J. B. & Craven, J. D. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 307–310 (1986).
Frank, L. A., Sigwarth, J. B. & Craven, J. D. Geophys. Res. Lett. (to be submitted).
Ajello, J. M., Stewart, A. I., Thomas, G. E. & Graps, A. Astrophys. J. 317, 964–986 (1987).
Thomas, G. E. A. Rev. Earth planet. Sci. 6, 173–204 (1978).
Donnelly, R. F., Hinteregger, H. E. & Heath, D. F. J. geophys. Res. 91, 5567–5578 (1986).
Skinner, T. E. et al. J. geophys. Res. 93, 29–34 (1988).
Lean, J. L. & Skumanich, A. J. geophys. Res. 88, 5751–5759 (1983).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hall, D., Shemansky, D. No cometesimals in the inner Solar System. Nature 335, 417–419 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/335417a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/335417a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
