8- to 13-μm spectrophotometry of Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock

We present spectrophotometry between 8.0 and 13.0 microns at 2% spectral resolution for areas in and near the nuclear condensation of Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock (1983d) on May 11 and 12, 1983. All the spectra can be fit very well by blackbody curves, and no 10 micron silicate emissions are seen. The temperature structure of the coma suggests the presence of small (radii <5 microns) dust particles within 150 km of the nucleus and larger ones further out. The change in the spatial distribution of the infrared flux between the two nights suggests that an outburst may have occurred sometime on May 11.