Open AccessRadio observations of comet 9P/Tempel 1 with the Australia Telescope facilities during the Deep Impact encounter
Author(s) -
Jones P. A.,
Sarkissian J. M.,
Burton M. G.,
Voronkov M. A.,
Filipović M. D.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10460.x
Subject(s) - physics , telescope , astrophysics , comet , radio telescope , production rate , astronomy , line (geometry) , green bank telescope , galaxy , industrial engineering , geometry , mathematics , engineering
We present radio observations of comet 9P/Tempel 1 associated with the Deep Impact spacecraft collision of 2005 July 4. Weak 18‐cm OH emission was detected with the Parkes 64‐m telescope, in data averaged over July 4–6, at a level of 12 ± 3 mJy km s −1 , corresponding to OH production rate 2.8 × 10 28 molecules s −1 (Despois et al. inversion model, or 1.0 × 10 28 s −1 for the Schleicher & A'Hearn model). We did not detect the HCN 1–0 line with the Mopra 22‐m telescope over the period July 2–6. The 3σ limit of 0.06 K km s −1 for HCN on July 4 after the impact gives the limit to the HCN production rate of <1.8 × 10 25 s −1 . We did not detect the HCN 1–0 line, 6.7 GHz CH 3 OH line or 3.4‐mm continuum with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) on July 4, giving further limits on any small‐scale structure due to an outburst. The 3σ limit on HCN emission of 2.5 K km s −1 from the ATCA around impact corresponds to limit < 4 × 10 29 HCN molecules released by the impact.