The Latest EPOXI Findings on 103P/Hartley by Ahearn et al, have been published (16th June).
I thought I'd add the below info to this thread just for completeness .. (no mention of sputtering or electrical discharge, mind you ..
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Latest EPOXI findings on Comet Hartley 2 published
Main findings are:
Quote:
…. confirmed that carbon dioxide is the volatile fuel for Hartley 2's spectacular ice-spewing jets.
The study also provides several new twists in the unfolding story of this small cometary dynamo including that: (1) the smooth, relatively inactive waist of the peanut shaped comet is likely re-deposited, and thus evolutionary rather than primordial material; (2) Hartley 2 has an 'excited state of rotation' because it spins around one axis, but also tumbles around a different axis; and (3) on its larger, rougher ends, the comet's surface is dotted with glittering, blocky objects that can reach approximately 165 feet (50 meters) high and 260 feet (80 meters) wide …. at this point we don't know whether these are deposits or growths, or something else …
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"Hartley 2 is a hyperactive little comet, spewing out more water than other comets its size," .. "When warmed by the sun, dry ice [frozen carbon dioxide] deep in the comet's body turns to gas jetting off the comet and dragging water ice with it.
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The latest reports (April 2011) are here:
The Carbon Monoxide Abundance in Comet 103P/Hartley during the EPOXI Flyby and ..
Rotation of Comet Hartley 2 from Structures in the Coma.
Cheers