Thermal plasma noise spectroscopy using the ICE radio receiver yielded the parameters of the two maxwellian populations approximating the comet plasma electron distribution. Within 150,000 km around closest approach, we observe three regions : 1) the inner one coincides with the low magnetic field region or plasma sheet ; over 1200 km the density is nearly constant at 650 cm−3; the overall profile, 5000 km wide, is assymetrical and shows a narrow spike on each side of the maximum ; the temperature is 16,000 K; 2) from 9000 to 20,000 km from the nucleus, the density decreases as R−2. The distribution is slightly assymetrical, the density higher on the south side. 3) Further away, the density and temperature fluctuate widely around about solar wind values. The hot electron pressure is much smaller than that of the cold electrons except near the edges of the plasma sheet where heating processes probably oc