55P/Tempel-Tuttle image of the day

December 24, 1997, 18:29 UT


Image comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle

Credit & Copyright: Akimasa Nakamura (E-mail: yfujita [at] mail.netwave.or.jp), Kuma Kogen Astronomical Observatory, Kuma, Ehime, Japan.

The first sign of a comet coma (2'.2 accross) was reported from this image by A. Nakamura using an 0.60 m reflector and CCD camera on December 24, while no coma was detected in December 5 images. With the start of significant outgassing, the comet started to increase in brightness rapidly.







Last updated: February 13, 1998
P. Jenniskens