74 citations · 111 across the 9 of their papers we have counts for
10 papers
High-resolution optical spectroscopy reveals the distinctive volatile composition of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
K. Aravind, E. Jehin, C. Opitom +9
Comets preserve volatile material from the early stages of planetary-system formation. The discovery of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS enables a direct comparison between a comet…
Ion abundances in the plasma tail of 3I/ATLAS show that it is N2-rich
Lea Ferellec, Cyrielle Opitom, Colin Snodgrass
Interstellar objects allow us to compare the early planetary formation process in the Solar System and around other stars. The second and third interstellar objects, 2I/Borisov and…
High nitrogen and carbon isotopic ratios in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
C. Opitom, J. Manfroid, D. Hutsemékers +13
Interstellar objects provide a unique opportunity to further our understanding of the planetary formation process by studying in detail material formed around another star. Their i…
Very Large Telescope Observations of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS. II. From Quiescence to Glow: Dramatic Rise of Ni i Emission and Incipient CN Outgassing at Large Heliocentric Distances*
Rohan Rahatgaonkar, Juan Pablo Carvajal, Thomas H. Puzia +25
We report VLT spectroscopy of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025~N1) from to ~au using X-shooter (300--550\,nm, ) and UVES (opt…
Recent Chemo-morphological Coma Evolution of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Brian P. Murphy, Cyrielle Opitom, Colin Snodgrass +5
We present VLT/MUSE observations of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during its 2021 perihelion passage, from which we generated simultaneous maps of dust, [OI], C, NH, and…
Snapshot of a new interstellar comet: 3I/ATLAS has a red and featureless spectrum
Cyrielle Opitom, Colin Snodgrass, Emmanuel Jehin +19
The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object to be discovered. Pre-perihelion measurements provide a unique opportunity to study its activity and compositi…
A portrait throughout perihelion of the NH-rich interstellar comet 2I/Borisov
Sophie E. Deam, Michele T. Bannister, Cyrielle Opitom +12
The interstellar comet 2I/Borisov is the first interstellar object where compositional characterisation was possible throughout its entire perihelion passage. We report all 16 epoc…
Coma composition and profiles of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks using long-slit spectroscopy
Lea Ferellec, Cyrielle Opitom, Abbie Donaldson +4
Comet 12P/Pons-Brook exhibited multiple large and minor outbursts in 2023 on its way to its 2024 perihelion, as it has done during its previous apparitions. We obtained long-slit o…
A Targeted Search for Main Belt Comets
Léa Ferellec, Colin Snodgrass, Alan Fitzsimmons +6
Main Belt Comets (MBCs) exhibit sublimation-driven activity while occupying asteroid-like orbits in the Main Asteroid Belt. MBCs and candidates show stronger clustering of their lo…
Surface composition and properties of Ganymede: Updates from ground-based observations with the near-infrared imaging spectrometer SINFONI/VLT/ESO
N. Ligier, C. Paranicas, J. Carter +5
Ganymede's surface exhibits great geological diversity, with old dark terrains, expressed through the surface composition, which is known to be dominated by two constituents: H2O-i…