Related papers: Main-Belt Comet 238P/Read Revisited

We summarize the collective knowledge of physical and surface properties of comet nuclei, focusing on those that are obtained from remote observations. We now have measurements or constraints on effective radius for over 200 comets,…

The thermal emission of comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) was observed on March 31, 2013, at a heliocentric distance of 6.48 au using the PACS photometer camera of the Herschel Space Observatory. The comet was clearly active, showing a coma…

We present ground-based optical and Spitzer Space Telescope infrared imaging observations of the ecliptic (Jupiter-family) comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, the parent body of the Draconid meteor stream, during its 2005 apparition. Onset of…

Comet 17P/Holmes was observed for linear polarisation using the optical polarimeter mounted on the 1.2m telescope atop Gurushikhar peak near Mt. Abu during the period November-December 2007. Observations were conducted through the IHW…

The quasi-Hilda object, 212P/2000YN30 with a cometary-like orbit, was found to display a dust tail structure between January and March, 2009. From orbital calculations, it is shown that this object could have been an active comet in its…

The results of the 9P/Tempel 1 CARA (Cometary Archive for Amateur Astronomers) observing campaign is presented. The main goal was to perform an extended survey of the comet as a support to the Deep Impact (DI) Mission. CCD R, I and…

We reported the monitoring results on spectrophotometry, photometry and imaging of comet 103P/Hartley 2 obtained at Lulin (1m), Calar Alto (2.2m) and Beijing Astronomical (2.16m) Observatory from April to December 2010. We found that a dust…

On November 4th, 2010, the Deep Impact eXtended Investigation (DIXI) successfully encountered comet 103P/Hartley 2, when it was at a heliocentric distance of 1.06 AU. Spatially resolved near-IR spectra of comet Hartley 2 were acquired in…

The reason for the horizontal turn of the Tunguska-1908 bolide trajectory remains difficult to understand. It finds explanation, however, in the New Explosive Cosmogony of minor bodies as having been caused by an explosion of a part (M up…

We report the clear detection of C$_2$ and of abundant NH$_2$ in the first prominently active interstellar comet, 2I/Borisov. We observed 2I on three nights in November 2019 at optical wavelengths 4800--9300 \AA with the Multi-Unit…

Water ice is a fundamental building material of comets and other bodies in the outer solar system. Yet, the properties of cometary water ice are challenging to study, due to its volatility and the typical distances at which comets are…

We report VLT spectroscopy of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025~N1) from $r_{\rm h}\!\simeq\!4.4$ to $2.85$~au using X-shooter (300--550\,nm, $R\!\simeq\!3000$) and UVES (optical, $R\!\simeq\!35k-80k$). The coma is dust-dominated with…

Spectrophotometric monitoring of distant comet C/2002 VQ94 (LINEAR) was performed with the 6-m telescope of SAO RAS and with the 2.5-m Nordic Optical Telescope between 2008 and 2013. During this period the comet was on the outbound segment…

It has been suggested that the comet-like activity of Main Belt Comets are due to the sublimation of sub-surface water-ice that has been exposed as a result of their surfaces being impacted by m-sized bodies. We have examined the viability…

One of the goals of the Hubble Space Telescope program to observe periodic comet 9P/Tempel 1 in conjunction with NASA's Deep Impact mission was to study the generation and evolution of the gaseous coma resulting from the impact. For this…

The discovery of the first active interstellar object 2I/Borisov provides an unprecedented opportunity to study planetary formation processes in another planetary system. In particular, spectroscopic observations of 2I allow us to constrain…

We describe active asteroid 331P/Gibbs (2012 F5) using archival Hubble Space Telescope data taken between 2015 and 2018. 331P is an outer main-belt active asteroid with a long-lived debris trail that formed in 2011. Embedded in the debris…

Beginning in March 2014, the OSIRIS (Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System) cameras began capturing images of the nucleus and coma (gas and dust) of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko using both the wide angle camera (WAC)…

We report the detection of several emission bands in the CO Fourth Positive Group from comet 103P/Hartley during ultraviolet spectroscopic observations from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) on 2010 November 4 near the time of closest…

We processed images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to investigate any morphological features in the inner coma suggestive of a peculiar activity on the nucleus of the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov. The coma shows an evident…