Infrared observations of comet Kohoutek near perihelion

Observations between 0.55 and 18 microns show that after perihelion passage, comet Kohoutek possessed an infrared tail and antitail. The coma and the tail have the silicate signature and contain 'black material' which acquires a temperature higher than the blackbody temperature at the given distance from the sun. The antitail shows the colors of a blackbody at a lower temperature, suggesting that the particles are larger than those in the coma and the tail.