Analysis of 10P/Tempel 2's Morphological Features and Pole Orientation

Details Analysis of 10P/Tempel 2's Morphological Features and Pole Orientation Analysis of 10P/Tempel 2's Morphological Features and Pole Orientation

Oct 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.2829s&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #28.29; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.965

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

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Scientific paper

Using Lowell telescopes, primarily the 1.1-m Hall Telescope, we conducted an in-depth observing campaign of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 during its 1999/2000 apparition and have begun a follow up observing campaign for the 2010 apparition. Thirty-one nights of broadband and narrowband images were obtained for the 1999/2000 apparition over an 11-month interval. Our earlier investigation of broadband R photometry collected early in the 1999/2000 apparition yielded a precise rotation period and confirmed a slight nucleus spin-down (Knight et al. 2010, submitted to AJ).
Using narrowband and broadband images collected late in the 1999/2000 apparition to investigate coma morphology, we find a single CN fan and a single dust jet. Relatively benign image enhancements such as azimuthal-subtraction were used to aid in the quantitative determination of the position angles of these radial features. There is an offset between the position angles of the CN fan and the dust jet that is consistent within the uncertainties; during the interval of October 1999 through January 2000 the measured offset between the CN and dust features ranges from 10 to 20 degrees. We are examining the possible cause of this position angle offset. No change in the position angles of the CN fan or dust jet were seen associated with rotational phase, suggesting that both features are very close to the comet's pole. Our preliminary pole solution is in general agreement with Sekanina's pole solution for 1925-1967 (1991; AJ 102, 350-358).
Our initial observations from May-July of 2010 (see poster by Knight et al.) also show a single CN fan and dust jet with a larger offset in position angle, possibly due to the change in viewing geometry. Additionally, we see evidence of a dust tail in the anti-solar direction.
This project is supported by the NASA Planetary Astronomy Program.

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