Optical spectroscopy of comet 103Р/Hartley 2 on October 2010

Abstract

Seventeen middle-resolution optical spectra of comet 103Р/Hartley 2 were obtained on 26–28 October 2010 with the help of the 2-m Zeiss reflector and echelle-spectrograph of the High-mountain astronomical station of Institute of Astronomy of Russian Academy of Sciences and Main Astronomical Observatory of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine at Peak Terskol. The comet was at heliocentric distance 1.06 A.U. and geocentric one 0.13 A.U. and had the integral magnitude equal to m_1=9.1^m. We built the energy distribution in the spectra of comet 103P and made the detailed identification of the spectral emission lines in these spectra. Also in the spectra of comet we found out luminescent continuum in and determined some physical parameters of luminescent continuum. Short period comet 103Р/Hartley 2 of Jupiter’s comet family was the target of the space mission “EPOXI” in 2010.

Keywords

• comet 103P/Hartley 2
• spectrum
• emission lines
• luminescent continuum