Abstract
Taking advantage of its favorable opposition, periodic comet Tempel 2 was extensively monitored during May and June 1988. Two lightcurves were obtained with a CCD camera on the 2.3-m telescope of the Steward Observatory on Kitt Peak, and five light-curves were obtained with the photoelectric photometer on the 1.5-m NASA telescope on Mt. Lemmon. The lightcurve amplitude (12-arcsec diaphragm) was nearly 0.5 mag and the synodic period of rotation was 8 hr 55.8 min. On each occasion two uneven maxima were observed, leading to the conclusion that a lightcurve is not a product of an active spot on the comet, but is caused by a true reflection from an elongated rotating nucleus seen through a transparent yet underdeveloped coma. A comparison is made of CCD and photoelectric photometry.
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