5 papers
Considerations on the process of target selection for the Comet Interceptor mission
C. Snodgrass, E. Mazzotta Epifani, C. Tubiana +27
Comet Interceptor is an ESA science mission with payload contributions from ESA Member States and with an international participation by JAXA. It is the first mission that is being…
Evolutionary Processes in the Centaur Region
Rosita Kokotanekova, Aurélie Guilbert-Lepoutre, Matthew M. Knight +1
Centaurs populate relatively short-lived and rapidly evolving orbits in the giant-planet region and are believed to be one of the solar system's most complex and diverse population…
The Origins & Reservoirs of Exocomets
Michele Bannister, Susanne Pfalzner, Tim Pearce +11
Small bodies exist in distinct populations within their planetary systems. These reservoir populations hold a range of compositions, which to first order are dependent on formation…
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…
First JWST spectrum of distant activity in Long Period Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos)
Colin Snodgrass, Carrie E. Holt, Michael S. P. Kelley +10
We observed the new Long Period Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos), inbound at 7 au from the Sun, using the NIRSpec integral field unit on JWST. The spectrum shows absorption features due…