Comet Giacobini-Zinner

Right ascension:   5:53:20   Magnitude:  8
    Declination:  23:15

Image:  FES 1697
 Date:  1985 Sep 11 10:57 UT

Exposure duration:  10 sec

Comet Giacobini-Zinner was observed by IUE during the flyby of the first spacecraft ever to visit a comet (the International Cometary Explorer, September 11, 1985). IUE detected carbon monosulfide and hydroxyl molecules in the comet with the LWR (long wavelength, redundant) camera. The comet is the progenitor of the Draconid meteor shower, visible annually in early October, which produced intense meteor displays in 1933 and 1946.

Last updated: 08 April 1998
Obtained from IUE project at Goddard Space Flight Center