Optical spectroscopy of comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp

A. Fitzsimmons; I. M. Cartwright

doi:10.1093/mnras/278.2.L37

Optical spectroscopy of comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp

A. Fitzsimmons^*, I. M. Cartwright

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Mathematics and Physics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We report the results of optical CCD spectroscopy of comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp on 1995 August 30, when the comet was at a heliocentric distance of R_h = 6.82 au. In the wavelength range 3300 to 5500 Å the dust coma is found to be red compared with solar colours. Near the nucleus and in the prominent jet observed at this time the dust is redder than in the surrounding coma, implying differences between the grain populations in these regions. Emission from the CN (0-0) band was detected at a level of (1.7±0.8) × 10^-14 erg s^-1 cm^-2. This is the first reported optical detection of gas molecules in the coma. Monte Carlo modelling gives an outgassing rate of Q(CN) = (6 ±3) × 10²⁵ molecule s^-1 at this time. From a comparison of these and other reported observations, Hale-Bopp appears to be a normal comet, albeit highly active.

Original language	English
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume	278
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/278.2.L37
Publication status	Published - 01 Jan 1996

Keywords

Comets: individual: Hale-Bopp

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1093/mnras/278.2.L37

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title = "Optical spectroscopy of comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp",

abstract = "We report the results of optical CCD spectroscopy of comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp on 1995 August 30, when the comet was at a heliocentric distance of Rh = 6.82 au. In the wavelength range 3300 to 5500 {\AA} the dust coma is found to be red compared with solar colours. Near the nucleus and in the prominent jet observed at this time the dust is redder than in the surrounding coma, implying differences between the grain populations in these regions. Emission from the CN (0-0) band was detected at a level of (1.7±0.8) × 10-14 erg s-1 cm-2. This is the first reported optical detection of gas molecules in the coma. Monte Carlo modelling gives an outgassing rate of Q(CN) = (6 ±3) × 1025 molecule s-1 at this time. From a comparison of these and other reported observations, Hale-Bopp appears to be a normal comet, albeit highly active.",

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T1 - Optical spectroscopy of comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp

AU - Fitzsimmons, A.

AU - Cartwright, I. M.

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N2 - We report the results of optical CCD spectroscopy of comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp on 1995 August 30, when the comet was at a heliocentric distance of Rh = 6.82 au. In the wavelength range 3300 to 5500 Å the dust coma is found to be red compared with solar colours. Near the nucleus and in the prominent jet observed at this time the dust is redder than in the surrounding coma, implying differences between the grain populations in these regions. Emission from the CN (0-0) band was detected at a level of (1.7±0.8) × 10-14 erg s-1 cm-2. This is the first reported optical detection of gas molecules in the coma. Monte Carlo modelling gives an outgassing rate of Q(CN) = (6 ±3) × 1025 molecule s-1 at this time. From a comparison of these and other reported observations, Hale-Bopp appears to be a normal comet, albeit highly active.

AB - We report the results of optical CCD spectroscopy of comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp on 1995 August 30, when the comet was at a heliocentric distance of Rh = 6.82 au. In the wavelength range 3300 to 5500 Å the dust coma is found to be red compared with solar colours. Near the nucleus and in the prominent jet observed at this time the dust is redder than in the surrounding coma, implying differences between the grain populations in these regions. Emission from the CN (0-0) band was detected at a level of (1.7±0.8) × 10-14 erg s-1 cm-2. This is the first reported optical detection of gas molecules in the coma. Monte Carlo modelling gives an outgassing rate of Q(CN) = (6 ±3) × 1025 molecule s-1 at this time. From a comparison of these and other reported observations, Hale-Bopp appears to be a normal comet, albeit highly active.

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Optical spectroscopy of comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp

Abstract

Keywords

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