CCD imaging of Comet Wilson (1987VII) - A quantitative coma analysis

Distinctive cometary components (dust, ions, and radicals) are studied on the basis of 2D, narrow-band CCD images of Comet Wilson (1987VII). The fact that Comet Wilson showed no significant structures in the neutral coma during its first perihelion passage is additional evidence for the hypothesis that dynamically new comets do not show a heterogeneous nucleus, but still have a relatively uniform surface. The deviations from the 1/rho law for the decrease of surface brightness as a function of nuclear distance are explained by a combination of short-term variations in the dust production and the effects of solar radiation pressure. The C2 production rate remains basically constant during the whole observational period, while the CN production rate decreases with increasing heliocentric distance. It is inferred that the formation of C2 might be due both to photolytic destruction of some parent molecules as well as to chemical reactions between other species.