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Review
. 2017 Jul 13;375(2097):20160261.
doi: 10.1098/rsta.2016.0261.

Comets: looking ahead

Affiliations
Review

Comets: looking ahead

Michael F A'Hearn. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. .

Abstract

We outline the key questions about comets that must be answered in order to understand cometary formation in the context of the protoplanetary disc and the role of comets in the formation and evolution of the solar system. We then discuss the new understanding of comets from Rosetta and from other recent advances, including work presented by others at the discussion meeting. Finally, we suggest some key directions for future projects to better address the above questions.This article is part of the themed issue 'Cometary science after Rosetta'.

Keywords: Churyumov–Gerasimenko; Rosetta; comets; formation; origin; protoplanetary disc.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author has no competing interests.

References

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