Abstract
Abstract Comet P/Swift-Tuttle 1992t was observed during 17 nights from 20 November to 21 December 1992 at the Pic du Midi Observatory. The CCD images obtained by the 1.05 m telescope showed the existence of spiral dust jets. In particular, a strong dust jet was easily detectable on the high resolution images in late November. We used a preliminary simple model, in which we neglected the solar radiation pressure, to derive the rotation period (2.7–2.9 days) and the spin axis orientation of the nucleus. We also determined an expansion velocity of the dust of 0.3 km s −1 in the jet and an opening angle of 20°. The comparison with the 1862 passage of P/Swift-Tuttle seems to indicate that the rotation period is constant, but that the spin axis could precess.
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