Request for Groundbased Images of Hale-Bopp between 26 Jul and 02 Aug

In support of the STS-85 Shuttle/SWUIS imaging experiment for Hale-Bopp, scheduled to be performed between 11 Aug and 21 Aug 1997, the SWUIS experiment team requests broadband images of Hale-Bopp be obtained between 26 Jul 1997 and 05 Aug 1997. These images will be used to help prepare Shuttle mission specialists Dr. Steve Robinson and Dr. Dan Davis for the expected appearance of Hale-Bopp during their Shuttle mission, which is set to launch 07 Aug 1997. Drs. Robinson and Davis are not astronomers, but will have to visually acquire the comet in the SWUIS finder telescope in order to properly place the SWUIS CCD on the comet for the desired SWUIS UV/Vis observations.

As such, the SWUIS imaging science team (A. Stern, D. Slater, M. A'Hearn, P. Weissman, M. Hanner, J. Parker, and L. Paxton) ask to be informed (at astern@swri.edu) of electronically-available Hale-Bopp images obtained during the next 10 days.

More information on the SWUIS experiment can be obtained under http://www.boulder.swri.edu/swuis/

Comet Hale-Bopp Home Page