activity
20242026
collaborators

10 papers

astro-ph.EP2026

Multi-year Ground-Based Survey Photometry of Active Comet 103P/Hartley 2 and Centaur (2060) Chiron: A Tale of Two Comets in the Pre-LSST Era

Joseph Murtagh, Megan E. Schwamb, Michael S. P. Kelley +22

Comets and Centaurs trace the evolution of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) into the inner solar system. Their activity reflects the interplay between volatile sublimation, dust dyna…

astro-ph.EP2026

NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Observations of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1)

Colin Orion Chandler, Pedro H. Bernardinelli, Mario Jurić +305

We report on the observation and measurement of astrometry, photometry, morphology, and activityof the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, also designated C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) with the NSF-…

astro-ph.EP2026

Sequential Fragmentation of C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) After Its Near-Sun Passage

Dennis Bodewits, John W. Noonan, Michael S. P. Kelley +6

Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) reached perihelion at 0.33 au on 2025 October 8. Daily monitoring by the LCO Outbursting Objects Key Project revealed a major activity increase between Nove…

astro-ph.EP2025

Near-Discovery SOAR Photometry of the Third Interstellar Object: 3I/ATLAS

Tessa T. Frincke, Atsuhiro Yaginuma, John W. Noonan +7

3I/ATLAS was discovered on UT 2025 July 1 and joins a limited but growing population of detected m scale interstellar objects. In this paper we report photometric o…

astro-ph.EP2025

The Roman Space Telescope as a Planetary Defense Asset

Bryan J. Holler, Richard G. Cosentino, William C. Schultz +5

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, slated to launch in October 2026, will serve a critical role in the characterization and threat assessment of near-Earth Objects (NEOs), t…

astro-ph.EP2025

Discovery and Preliminary Characterization of a Third Interstellar Object: 3I/ATLAS

Darryl Z. Seligman, Marco Micheli, Davide Farnocchia +44

We report initial observations aimed at the characterization of a third interstellar object. This object, 3I/ATLAS or C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), was discovered on 2025 July 1 UT and has an…