Observations of Exocomets
Abstract
Active small bodies in extrasolar systems, the extrasolar analogues of Solar System comets, provide insights into the orbital evolution and physical processes shaping planetary systems. Since the discovery of exocomets around Pictoris, these small, icy bodies have shown the potential to become key probes for understanding planetary formation and migration. This review presents an overview of current observational techniques used to detect exocomets, focusing on individual systems and large-scale searches. We discuss photometric methods that identify exocomet transits through asymmetric light curves and spectroscopic techniques revealing cometary gases via time-variable absorption lines. Despite progress, significant open questions remain regarding the physical properties, occurrence rates, and similarities between exocomets and their Solar System counterparts. This review explores future opportunities in observational exocomet research, highlighting advancements required to further our understanding of these active small bodies and their role in the context of planetary system evolution.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2603.19978,
title = {Observations of Exocomets},
author = {Judith Korth and Azib Norazman and Raphäel Bendahan-West and Grant Kennedy and Cristina Madurga Favieres and Daniela Iglesias and Olena Shubina and Siyi Xu and Nathan X. Roth},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.19978},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
Accepted to Space Science Reviews