In: Physics
Estimate the distance from the Sun where a comet nucleus begins to create a coma as the icy materials sublimate to gases. The sublimation temperature for various comet constituents such as CO2 and H2O are not well known in a vacuum but it is near 150K. One can make an estimate of the “equilibrium” temperature of a spherical object in the Solar System by calculating the temperature where the power from sunlight received by the day side is exactly balanced by the blackbody emission from the entire surface. (a) At what distance from the Sun is the equilibrium temperature found to be 150K? (b) How do your results compare to the distances where comets are usually first detected?