Comet 10P/Tempel 2 outgassing observed with Herschel
Abstract
Comet 10P/Tempel 1 was observed with the Herschel Space Observatory, in the framework of the Herschel guaranteed time key project "Water and related chemistry in the Solar System" [3]. One of the main goals of the project is studying water emission and excitation processes in cometary comae The observations of Comet Tempel 2 covered the period from June 15 to July 29, 2010. The comet was at a distance ~1.43 AU from the Sun and at a distance ~1.9 - 1.7 AU from Herschel. Long and short-term monitoring was performed. Herschel/HIFI provided detection of several water transitions: 110-101 (557 GHz), 202-111 (987 GHz), 111-000 (1113 GHz), 212-101 (1669 GHz). In addition, the cometary coma was mapped at 557 and 987 GHz on June 15, July 7, July 19 and July 29. Three OTF maps of water are shown in Fig. 1. The ammonia transition NH3(1-0) was detected for the first time in a Jupiter-Family comet [1]. Water lines were also detected with Herschel/PACS and Herschel/SPIRE. Comet Tempel 2 is a well-known member of the Jupiter-family comets that was observed in many apparitions since its discovery in 1873. It passed last perihelion on July 4.9 UT, 2010 at heliocentric distance of 1.42 AU.
- Publication:
-
EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2011
- Pub Date:
- October 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011epsc.conf.1213S