Detection of CN emission in Comet P/HalleyThe first detection of the CN 3883 A band in emission in Comet P/Halley (1982) in February 1985 is reported. The detection technique, which is described, used blind offsets from secondary reference stars to the comet's predicted position, and involved plotting the comet's track on an enlargement of an appropriate section of the Palomar Sky Survey E plates. The strong solar continuum in the resulting cometary spectrum demonstrates the dominance of the dust reflection spectrum and the reflection from the nucleus. The 3883 A feature is identified with the v = 0 band sequence of the blue system of CN; no other significant features were identified in the spectrum.
Document ID
19870024682
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Wyckoff, S. (Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Wehinger, P. A. (Arizona State University Tempe, United States)
Belton, M. J. S. (Kitt Peak National Observatory Tucson, AZ, United States)