5 papers
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…