Ramanjooloo, Yudish; Jones, Geraint H; (2022) Solar Wind Velocities at Comets C/2011 L4 Pan‐STARRS and C/2013 R1 Lovejoy derived using a New Image Analysis Technique. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 10.1029/2021ja029799. (In press).

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Abstract

The ion tails of bright comets have long been considered as natural tracers of the solar wind near these objects. Studies of comets and their ion tails allow inexpensive monitoring of key solar wind structures in the inner heliosphere, much of which is otherwise only accessible by in situ solar wind spacecraft measurements. Here, we present a novel technique to mine the rich archive of amateur, professional and spacecraft observations of cometary ion tails. To demonstrate this, we focus on Near-Sun comet C/2011 L4 (Pan-STARRS) during Carrington Rotations (CR) 2134 and 2135 and comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) during CR 2118. We outline the technique’s shortcomings, including its geometric limitations, and present a catalogue of radial solar wind velocities derived in the near-comet environment and information on the heliospheric conditions inferred from the measured solar wind. Complementary measurements, derived from folding ion rays and a velocity profile map built from consecutive images, are provided as an alternative means of quantifying the solar wind-cometary ionosphere interaction. We find that comets are generally good indicators of solar wind structure, but the quality of the results is strongly dependent on the observing geometry.

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