Comprehensive Study of the Chemical Composition and Spatial Outgassing Behavior of Hyperactive Comet 46P/Wirtanen Using Near-IR Spectroscopy during its Historic 2018 Apparition

We present a comprehensive analysis of the chemical composition of the Jupiter-family comet and potential spacecraft target 46P/Wirtanen, in the near-IR wavelength range. We used iSHELL at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility to observe the comet on 11 pre-, near-, and postperihelion dates in 2018 December and 2019 January and February during its historic apparition. We report rotational temperatures, production rates, and mixing ratios with respect to H2O and C2H6 or 3 sigma upper limits of the primary volatiles H2O, HCN, CH4, C2H6, CH3OH, H2CO, NH3, CO, C2H2, and HC3N. We also discuss the spatial outgassing of the primary volatiles, to understand their sources and the spatial associations between them. The spatial profiles of H2O in 46P/Wirtanen suggest the presence of extended H2O outgassing sources in the coma, similar to the EPOXI target comet 103P/Hartley 2. 46P/Wirtanen is among the few known hyperactive comets, and we note that its composition and outgassing behavior are similar to those of other hyperactive comets in many ways. We note that the analyzed parent volatiles showed different variations (relative mixing ratios) during the apparition. We compared the chemical composition of 46P/Wirtanen with the mean abundances in Jupiter-family comets and the comet population as measured with ground-based near-IR facilities to date. The molecular abundances in 46P/Wirtanen suggest that although they were changing, the variations were small compared to the range in the comet population, with CH3OH showing notably more variation as compared to the other molecules.

Automated summary

In this study, the chemical composition of comet 46P/Wirtanen was analyzed using near-IR observations. The production rates and mixing ratios of H2O and C2H6 were reported. The results showed spatial characteristics of the volatile gases, similar to other hyperactive comets. The molecular abundances in 46P/Wirtanen showed small variations compared to the overall comet population, with CH3OH showing notable differences.