From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Mon Oct 29 2007 - 10:20:00 PDT
>From: "AAS Press Officer Dr. Steve Maran" <Steve.Maran_at_aas.org>
>To: "AAS Press Officer Dr. Steve Maran" <steve.maran_at_aas.org>
>Subject: CASCA/U MONTREAL: Possible Detection of Tail on Comet Holmes
>Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:25:33 -0400
>
THE FOLLOWING RELEASE WAS RECEIVED FROM UNIVERSITE DE MONTREAL (QC) VIA THE
CANADIAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY.
IT IS FORWARDED FOR YOUR INFORMATION. (FORWARDING DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT
BY THE CANADIAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY NOR BY THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL
SOCIETY.) Steve Maran, American Astronomical Society steve.maran_at_aas.org
1-202-328-2010 x116 *Contact data appear below.*
POSSIBLE DETECTION OF A SHORT TAIL BEHIND COMET 17/P HOLMES
Montreal, 29 Oct 2007 - The recent brightening of comet Holmes has
spurred a frenzy of observations both by amateurs and professionals
astronomers alike. All these observations reveal a tailless round
yellowish fuzzball in the constellation Perseus. Near infrared images
of comet P/17 Holmes, obtained with the 1.6m Ritchey-Chretien telescope
at Mont Megantic Observatory (Qc, Canada), indicate a small tail-like
feature next to the comet's head.
The images were obtained by graduate student Sandie Bouchard and
night assistant Bernard Malenfant on the morning of October 26, using
SIMON, a Near Infrared Polarimetric Imager.
A preliminary analysis, performed by astronomers Pierre Bastien and
Rene Doyon from Universite de Montréal and the Centre de Recherche en
Astrophysique du Quebec (CRAQ) clearly shows a bright elongated feature
surrounding the more luminous comet's coma. This elongated feature,
probably a cloud of dust and gas, which resembles a small tail, is
going out at position angle of 145 degrees (+/- 5 deg), measured from
north and going east. This direction makes an angle of about 33 degrees
relative to the Sun-comet direction. Although the images display
tantalizing evidence of a tail, the direction of the feature does not
point directly in the direction opposite to the Sun, as expected.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Pierre Bastien
Universite de Montreal
Tel: 1-514-343-5816
Email: bastien_at_astro.umontreal.ca
Image caption: The following raw images were taken with the NIR
instrument SIMON. On both images East is up and North is right.
Fig.1 : image taken with an I filter Oct 26 at 04:37 EDT (08:37 UT)
Fig.2 : same as fig.1 but with a J filter taken at 04:10 EDT (08:10 UT).
http://www.astro.umontreal.ca/~casca/PR/holmes_I.png
http://www.astro.umontreal.ca/~casca/PR/holmes_J.png
PIO Source:
Robert Lamontagne
Attache de presse/Press Officer
Societe canadienne d'astronomie/Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA)
Dept. de Physique Tel: 1-514-343-6111
(p.3195)
Universite de Montréal Telecopieur: 1-514-343-2071
C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville
Montreal, Que. H3C 3J7 Courriel:
lamont_at_astro.umontreal.ca
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Telephone 1-202-328-2010 X116
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