6 papers
ATLAS Photometry of Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
John Tonry, Larry Denneau, Miguel Alarcon +7
We present calibrated ATLAS photometry of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) from 28 March through 29 Aug 2025, obtained with the five-site, robotic ATLAS network in the c…
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…
Dust production rates in Jupiter-family comets II: Trends and population insights from ATLAS photometry of 116 JFCs
A. Fraser Gillan, Alan Fitzsimmons, Larry Denneau +4
Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) have orbital periods of less than 20 years and therefore undergo more frequent sublimation compared to other comet populations. The JFCs therefore repr…
The discovery and characterization of Earth-crossing asteroid 2024 YR
Bryce T. Bolin, Josef Hanuš, Larry Denneau +9
We describe observations and physical characteristics of Earth-crossing asteroid 2024 YR, discovered on 2024 December 27 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System. T…
The discovery and characterization of minimoon 2024 PT
Bryce T. Bolin, Larry Denneau, Laura-May Abron +4
Minimoons are asteroids that become temporarily captured by the Earth-Moon system. We present the discovery of 2024 PT, a minimoon discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact…
Analysing the Onset of Cometary Activity by the Jupiter-Family Comet 2023 RN3
Matthew M. Dobson, Megan E. Schwamb, Alan Fitzsimmons +17
We utilize serendipitous observations from the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) and the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) in addition to targeted follow-up obser…