Ken, the shape of a celestial body depends solely on mass above a certain point, be that body made of ice, rock, or gas (even dark matter appears to be distributed spherically around galaxies). If the mass is below the "spheroidal threshold", then of course anything goes. Spin can also flatten a spheroid into an oblate shape, but it's still basically a spheroid. Not all comets rotate for even solar illumination, either. Some may have poles or portions (canyons, crevasses) that never see daylight. Different materials (exotic & water ices) will sublimate at different rates. Too, there is some evidence of venting as a source of some cometary ejecta. As far as I know, the only other comet nucleus we have an approximate shape for is Halley, and isn't it potato-shaped, IIRC? I agree with the scientists in that below a certain size, "roundness" gets progressively less likely, but not outright impossible. C. --- Ken Warner <KillerKen@killerken.com> wrote:
I the case of a comet I think that a sheroidal shape would be the very likely.
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