Comparative Study of the Optical Spectra of Comets C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) and C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)

Earth, Moon, and Planets -     

The radial velocity variations of certainOii,Siiii, andNii lines — A confirmation of the shell ejection in the P cygni stellar wind

The radial velocity variations of the components of someOii, Siiii, andNii lines in P Cyg spectrum are investigated during the period 1981–1983. All data are analyzed in terms of a model which implies a multiple ejection of shells in the stellar wind. It is shown that the observed phenomenon is not periodic, but it occurs on a time-scale between 110 and 160 days with the most frequently observed length of the cycle of about 110 days. The shells move away from the star with an acceleration that is greater at low velocities than at high ones. The radial velocity variations ofOii, Siiii, andNii lines agree with these of hydrogen lines if we assume velocity and excitation condition differences inside the shell.