Interstellar and cometary ices: Molecular emission from comet Hale-Bopp

Observations of rotational translations of neutral molecules, radicals and ions in the comet Hale-Bopp are reported on. Sample spectra and maps of the emission for the J = 1 to 0 transition of HCN, the J = 2 to 1 transition of CS and the J = 1 to 0 transition of HCO+ are presented. While the emission from HCN is typically centered on the position of the nucleus and is symmetric, the emission from HCO+ exhibits multiple peaks, together with evidence for acceleration away from the nucleus.