Ultraviolet Observations of Comet 96/P Machholz at Perihelion

Abstract

Ultraviolet spectra of Comet 96/P Machholz were obtained during its 2002 perihelion with the UVCS instrument aboard the SOHO satellite. Emission from H I, C II, C III, and O I, is detected near the nucleus. The outgassing rate is in line with the value extrapolated from rates at larger distances from the Sun, and abundances of C and O are estimated. Reconstructed images show a nearly spherical cloud in H I Ly$\hat{I}\pm$ emission and an ion tail seen in C III. Radiation pressure on the hydrogen atoms produces a modest distortion of the shape of the Ly$\hat{I}\pm$ cloud as seen from SOHO, and it produces Doppler shifts up to 30 km s${}^{-1}$ in the outer parts of the cloud. We estimate a ratio of C to H${}_2$O similar to what is observed in other comets, so low carbon abundance does not account for the anomalously low C${}_2$ and C${}_3$ ratios to NH${}_2$ observed at optical wavelengths.