The Deep Impact Event as Seen from the University of Nariñno Observatory – Colombia

Abstract

The Astronomical Observatory of the University of Nariñno has participated in the program STSP (The Small Telescope Science Program), associate to the project DEEP IMPACT of NASA, by sending photographies and scientific data. We began to study comet 9P/Tempel 1’s activity in February 2005, and we have obtained the comet’s brightnes curve. The great many data taken during every night have a standard deviation of just 0.03 in magnitude. By means of the curve we can compare the physical behavior before and after the impact. A slight change in the magnitude can be observed as the comet gets closer firstly to the Earth and then to the Sun. Nevertheless, we have detected an abrupt change in the luminous activity after the impact that took place at dawn of July 4th. The magnitude dicreased in 0.76 during the night of that same day. The brightness measurements taken after the impact indicate a greater variation with regard to the average value than those taken before the collision. This could indicate that the system nucleus-coma of the comet acquired a certain instability, an instability which lasted several hours.