Imaging Polarimetry and Color of the Inner Coma of Comet Hale-Bopp(C/1995 O1)

Optical-imaging polarimetry of comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) was performed on 1997 March 17, using the Okayama Optical Polarimetry and Spectroscopy system (OOPS), which was mounted on the 91-cm reflector at Okayama Astrophysical Observatory. Using two different narrow-band filters for the continuum, color maps and polarization maps of dust particles of comet Hale-Bopp were obtained. A dust “jet„ structure (also called ‘arc structure’) was seen in the intensity, polarization, and color maps. The polarization degree of the arc structure was higher than in other parts of the coma, and the color of the arc structure was bluer compared to other coma regions.