Three-dimensional model of the irradiance of cometary nuclei: Using the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko as an example

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to construct a 3D model of the surface of a cometary nucleus that allows the irradiance nonuniformity and temperature distribution to be investigated. This is very important, because in zones with a maximum surface temperature chemical and physical transformations of material are possible in subsurface layers. We propose a 3D model of the geometry and dynamics of a cometary nucleus that takes into account the diurnal rotation and orientation of the rotation axis relative to the Sun to simulate the irradiance and temperature distribution for both the surface of the nucleus as a whole and its individual regions.