55P/Tempel-Tuttle image of the day

December 30, 1997.


Image comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle

Credit & Copyright: Tony Farnham (E-mail: farnham [at] lowell.edu) at Lowell Observatory.

This image was obtained as part of a research effort at Lowell observatory, when the comet was 1.36 AU from the Sun and 0.77 AU from the Earth. This image consists of 8 separate exposures added together. The coma extends to a distance of about 20,000 miles from the comet. No distinct tail is visible at this time, however, the inner coma is elongated in the SE-NW direction, which suggests that the effects of radiation pressure are starting to be seen. The image shown here (displayed in false color) was obtained at the 42" Hall telescope at Lowell Observatory, using a 2048x2048 CCD (smaller sections of the overall frame are shown for clarity). A wideband R filter was used to isolate reflected light from any dust particles in the coma.







Last updated: February 13, 1998
P. Jenniskens