9 papers
Origin and evolution of NiI and FeI in the coma of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS throughout its trajectory
Damien Hutsemékers, Jean Manfroid, Cyrielle Opitom +8
We present high-resolution UVES+VLT observations of neutral nickel and iron atoms in the coma of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS taken after perihelion. Metal emission was strong s…
Characterization of the Volatile Properties of 133P/Elst-Pizarro and Other Main-Belt Comets with JWST and Ground-Based Observations
Henry H. Hsieh, John W. Noonan, Michael S. P. Kelley +10
We report results from an analysis of the volatile composition and evolution of main-belt comet (MBC) 133P/Elst-Pizarro using JWST NIRSpec and NIRCam observations and ground-based…
Emerging Diversity Among the Main-Belt Comets: Insights from JWST and Ground-Based Observations of 457P/Lemmon-PANSTARRS
John W. Noonan, Henry H. Hsieh, Michael S. P. Kelley +10
We present JWST NIRSpec and NIRCam observations of 457P/Lemmon-PANSTARRS, a main-belt comet that displayed activity around its 2020 perihelion and that was observed to regain activ…
Rotation Period of C/2006 P1 (McNaught) Through Morphological Analysis with Narrowband Imaging
Vincent Okoth, Cyrielle Opitom, Colin Snodgrass +2
This study presents findings from narrowband imaging of comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) using the 3.6-metre New Technology Telescope (NTT) at La Silla, Chile. Observations commenced on…
Transformational astrophysics and exoplanet science with Habitable Worlds Observatory's High Resolution Imager
Vincent Van Eylen, Richard Massey, Saeeda Awan +167
Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will be NASA's flagship space telescope of the 2040s, designed to search for life on other planets and to transform broad areas of astrophysics.…
Pre-perihelion evolution of the NiI/FeI abundance ratio in the coma of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. From extreme to normal
Damien Hutsemékers, Jean Manfroid, Emmanuël Jehin +9
Emission lines of FeI and NiI are commonly found in the coma of Solar System comets, even at large heliocentric distances. These atoms are most likely released from the surface of…