McDonald Observatory 9P/Tempel 1 Data: Comet Gas Production from 1983-2005

NASA's McDonald Observatory 9P/Tempel 1 dataset contains integrated fluxes and column densities from low-spectral resolution observations of comet 9P/Tempel 1. The data, collected in 1983, 1989, 1994, and 2005 using the 2.7m Harlan J. Smith telescope, was used to characterize the comet's gas production before and after the Deep Impact mission.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in comet gas production based on observations spanning 22 years
• Comparing production rate ratios of different molecular species (OH, NH, CN, C3, CH, C2) based on the reported constant ratios
• Studying the effects of a major impact event on comet activity based on pre- and post-Deep Impact observations
• Modeling the relationship between gas production and perihelion timing based on the reported peak occurring two months prior

Strengths

• Observations span 22 years across four apparitions (1983, 1989, 1994, 2005), providing a long-term view
• Data was used to derive specific gas production decrease factors (e.g., OH decreased by a factor 2.7)
• Observations were made with a specific, named instrument (2.7m Harlan J. Smith telescope)

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Low-spectral resolution observations from the McDonald Observatory's 2.7m Harlan J. Smith telescope

Time Range

1983, 1989, 1994, 2005

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:45:24.762935; freshness should be verified

Geography

Observations from McDonald Observatory; target is comet 9P/Tempel 1