Science. 1983 Jan 28;219(4583):347-54. doi: 10.1126/science.219.4583.347.
Our current knowledge of the composition of the cormetary nucleus is largely inferred from observations of the gas and dust comae that are produced by sublimation of cometary ice when a comet is near the sun. During the past decade, far-ultraviolet spectroscopy from above the terrestrial atmosphere has shed new light on the physics and chemistry of the gaseous component of the coma. The advent of interplanetary missions to Halley's comet in 1986 and the development of a new generation of earth-orbiting observatories promise further insights into the nature of these frozen remnants of the primordial solar system.
我们目前对于彗核成分的认识在很大程度上是根据彗星接近太阳时，彗核冰升华产生的气体和尘埃彗发的观测结果推断出来的。在过去的十年中，地球大气层以上的远紫外线光谱学为彗发气体成分的物理和化学性质提供了新的认识。1986 年对哈雷彗星的行星际任务的出现以及新一代地球轨道观测站的发展，有望进一步深入了解这些原始太阳系的冰冻残余物的性质。
