Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO RAN)

Polarimetry of Comets, Atmosphereless Solar System Bodies, and Circumstellar Gas – Dust Disks

Various types of scattering particles (e.g. aerosols, ice crystals, regolith surfaces of atmosphereless solar system bodies, dust grains of comets and the circumstellar environment of various composition and morphology) exhibit characteristic polarization properties in scattered light. As a consequence, polarimetric

observations can provide valuable information about the nature of scattering particles and physical processes that cannot be obtained from ot her types ofobservations.

The results of polarimetric observations of comets, MB asteroids and NEAs, satellites of Jupiter and Saturn, and gas – dust disks of UX Ori type stars, carried

out using photoelectric (aperture) and panoramic (CCD) polarimeters of CrAO, Terskol, and SAO, mainly in recent years, are presented.