Authors: Kumar Venkataramani, Satyesh Ghetiya, Shashikiran Ganesh, U. C. Joshi, Vikrant K. Agnihotri, K. S. Baliyan
Abstract: Spectra of comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) were taken with a low resolution spectrograph mounted on the 0.5 m telescope at the Mount Abu Infrared Observatory (MIRO), India during January to May 2015 covering the perihelion and post-perihelion periods. The spectra showed strong molecular emission bands (C2, C3 and CN) in January, close to perihelion. We have obtained the scale lengths for these molecules by fitting the Haser model to the observed column densities. The variation of gas production rates and production rate ratios with heliocentric distance were studied. The extent of the dust continuum using the Af-rho parameter and its variation with the heliocentric distance were also investigated. The comet is seen to become more active in the post-perihelion phase, thereby showing an asymmetric behaviour about the perihelion.
https://arxiv.org/abs/1607.06682
Submitted 22 July, 2016; originally announced July 2016.
Comments: Accepted for publication in MNRAS
Journal ref: MNRAS 463, 2137, 2016