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C/2001 A2 LINEAR - July 22, 2001 UT

	All images on this page are processed from this image which is the result of combining six 60-second exposures together using MaxIM DL software, and converting the original FITS format to a JPEG file for presentation on this web page.
	Using histogram stretching and a ranking process included in AIP4Win software, the faint tail begins to appear along with some very low-contrast "jet" features.
	Applying the ranking process a second time, the "T" structure composed of the tail and apparently two jets emanating from the nucleus of the comet now come dimly into view.
	AIP4Win's "topographic" lighting feature places a virtual light source 45 degrees counter clock wise from North (top of image) and 30 degrees up from the level of the image to produce this representation which clearly shows the "T" structure first observed by Gianluca Masi on July 13.

Details of the six original images: (earliest image [1] is represented by star at the right in the line of six stars.) The comet's motion is parallel to the line of stars, moving north west, towards the upper right on the images.

1. 2001 07 22.439 UT - exposure time 60 seconds - unfiltered
2. 2001 07 22.441 UT - exposure time 60 seconds - unfiltered
3. 2001 07 22.443 UT - exposure time 60 seconds - unfiltered
4. 2001 07 22.444 UT - exposure time 60 seconds - unfiltered
5. 2001 07 22.445 UT - exposure time 60 seconds - unfiltered
6. 2001 07 22.450 UT - exposure time 60 seconds - unfiltered

   Elapsed time from start of exposure #1 to end of #6 - 16m 09s

More of the "T" structure is visible on SRO images taken one week ago.

The results displayed here are produced from original images acquires with an SBIG ST6 CCD camera at the 0.76-m f/6 Newtonian telescope using CCDSoft and processed using AIP4Win, MaxIM DL and PhotoShop software.

At the telescope: Steve Brewster, Sara Martin,
Ted Nichols II, John Rogers, and Pam Sable.

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