Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 April 2016
We have detected OH maser radiation from the comet Giacobini-Zinner using the Parkes radio telescope. The emission was detected in two transitions of the ground state of OH, at an intensity consistent with the predicted OH molecular production rate. We also searched unsuccessfully for OH emission from comet Halley, from which we are able to place a significant upper limit on the intensity of OH emission.