Computer Science
Scientific paper
Feb 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008noao.prop...74s&link_type=abstract
NOAO Proposal ID #2008A-0074
Computer Science
Scientific paper
We propose to obtain imaging of Comet 8P/Tuttle in February 2008 following its close perigee passage in January 2008. Tuttle is classified as a Halley-family comet, and is assumed to have originated from the Oort Cloud, but exhibits characteristics of a significantly thermally evolved object, similar to Comet 2P/Encke. The proposed images will be used to measure Tuttle's coma morphology as a function of rotation, season, and changing viewing geometry and to measure a rotational lightcurve of the nucleus. Extremely little is known about Comet Tuttle's coma or nucleus, because its last useful apparition was in 1980, before the general use of 2-D digital detectors. However, most evolved comets exhibit coma structures associated with dust and gas jets or fans. These jets are produced by isolated source regions on the surface of its nucleus. The proposed observations will be used to determine the number and location of these source regions and to constrain the rotational period and the rotational state of the nucleus, each of which remain completely unknown. To obtain a sufficient range of viewing geometries of the 3- dimensional jets in the plane of the sky, we request one 7-day service observing run on the CTIO 0.6-m telescope during the first half of February, to complete an observing program with scheduled time in January 2008 (the current semester). We request 1st-half nights for this run to adequately sample morphology variations due to both rotation and viewing geometry.
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