Nucleus of Comet P/Arend-Rigaux

Photometry data at 1-20 microns taken of Comet P/Arend-Rigaux are reported. The observations were carried out to test the possibility of observing the nuclei of low activity, nearly extinct comets at visible and IR wavelengths. The data were collected in February 1985 using the NASA 3 m IR telescope on Mauna Kea. The comet was at 1.67 AU heliocentric distance at the time. Attempts were made to detect rotation of the core on the bases of variations in the J, H and K light curves. The images obtained were those of a rotating nucleus with a radius of 4.0-6.2 km surrounded by a faint coma. The comet had a geometric albedo of 0.01-0.03 and a near-IR red slope that exhibited no evidence of the presence of ice. 32 references