Albedo variegation on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

Abstract

ABSTRACT We here study the level of albedo variegation on the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. This is done by fitting the parameters of a standard photometric phase function model to disc–average radiance factor data in images acquired by the Rosetta/OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera in the orange filter. Local discrepancies between the observed radiance factor and the disc–average solution are interpreted as a proxy $\mathcal {W}$ of the local single–scattering albedo. We find a wide range $0.02 \lesssim \mathcal {W}\lesssim 0.09$ around an average of $\mathcal {W}=0.055$. The observed albedo variegation is strongly correlated with nucleus morphology – smooth terrain is brighter, and consolidated terrain is darker, than average. Furthermore, we find that smooth terrain darken prior to morphological changes, and that stratigraphically low terrain (with respect to the centre of each nucleus lobe) is brighter than stratigraphically high terrain. We propose that the observed albedo variegation is due to differences in porosity and the coherent effect: compaction causes small brighter particles to act collectively as larger optically effective particles that are darker. Accordingly, we consider the dark consolidated terrain materials more compacted than smooth terrain materials, and darkening of the latter is due to subsidence.