Abstract
Infrared observations, including photometry, spectroscopy, and J, H, and K lightcurves, of Comet P/Arend-Rigaux, suspected of being a near-extinct comet nucleus, are consistent with the detection of a rotating nucleus of radius 5.1 ± 1.1 km and a faint coma. The visual geometric albedo of the nucleus is 0.02 ± 0.01, placing the nucleus among the darkest objects in the Solar System. The near-infrared spectrum exhibits a red slope with no clear evidence of ice. A nonvolatile dust mantle compositionally similar to D-type asteroids may explain the observations.
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