Abstract:
The forbidden O I line and NH2 (0-8-0) emissions of Comet Halley at about 6300 A were observed during April 1986 using a Fabry-Perot spectrometer with a resolution of about 0.14 A. The forbidden O I line and NH2 rotational lines were spectrally well separated by the interferometer and a NH2/O I ratio of about 0.5 was found. The profile analysis shows the profiles of forbidden O I line and NH2 to be symmetric with linewidths of about 3.5-3 km/s. The cometary Balmer emission of hydrogen at 6563 A was barely detectable. An upper limit for H(alpha) based on the instrumental sensitivity yields a value of 30 Rayleighs.
