Related papers: Comet 66P/du Toit: not a near Earth main belt come…
Comet 8P/Tuttle is a Nearly Isotropic Comet (NIC), whose physical properties are poorly known and could be different from those of Ecliptic Comets (EC) owing to their different origin. Two independent observations have shown that 8P has a…
We present the visible spectrum of MBCs 133P/Elst-Pizarro and 176P/LINEAR, as well as three Themis family asteroids: (62) Erato, (379), Huenna and (383) Janina, obtained in 2007 using three telescopes at "El Roque de los Muchachos"'…
{The multiple outburst events of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks during its 2024 apparition offer a unique window into highly-active volatile releasing processes not observable during quiescent periods. We performed radio observations of comet…
We compute masses and densities for ten periodic comets with known sizes: 1P/Halley, 2P/Encke, 6P/d'Arrest, 9P/Tempel 1, 10P/Tempel 2, 19P/Borrelly, 22P/Kopff, 46P/Wirtanen, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and 81P/Wild 2. The method follows the…
Through photometry and spectroscopy, we studied the evolution of the activity and chemical composition of comet 67P during its 2025 and 2021 perihelion passages and of comet 103P during its 2010 and 2023 passages. For each comet, we aim to…
Many debris discs reveal a two-component structure, with a cold outer and a warm inner component. While the former are likely massive analogues of the Kuiper belt, the origin of the latter is still a matter of debate. In this work we…
There is a group of newly recognized asteroids in the main belt that are exhibiting cometary characteristics. We will call them Asteroidal Belt Comets or ABCs. An analysis of their orbital and physical properties has resulted in the…
We analyze the physical properties and dynamical origin of a curved jet of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko that was observed repeatedly in several nucleus rotations starting on May 30 and persisting until early August, 2015. We simulated…
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…
We present 2-5 $\mu$m spectroscopic observations of the dust coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko obtained with the VIRTIS-H instrument onboard Rosetta during two outbursts that occurred on 2015, 13 September 13.6 h UT and 14 September 18.8 h…
We present infrared images and spectra of comets 2P/Encke, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and C/2001 HT50 (LINEAR-NEAT) as part of a larger program to observe comets inside of 5 AU from the sun with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The nucleus of…
In this paper we apply different methods to examine the possibility that a small group of 24 asteroids dynamically linked to main-belt comet P/2006 VW139, recently discovered by the Pan-STARRS1 survey telescope, shares a common physical…
Comet 156P/Russell-LINEAR is a short period Jupiter family comet with an orbital period of 6.44 years. The results from spectroscopic, photometric, polarimetric observations and dust modelling studies are presented here. From the…
Ejection of large boulder-like debris is a vigorous form of cometary activity that is unlikely induced by water ice out-gassing alone but rather associated with the sublimation of super-volatile ices. Though perceived on several comets,…
We report on the results of nearly 10 hours of integration of the dust trail and neckline of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P henceforth) using the Wide Field Imager at the ESO/MPG 2.2m telescope in La Silla. The data was obtained in…
We investigated Wosret, a region located on the small lobe of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet subject to strong heating during the perihelion passage. This region includes Abydos, the final landing site of the Philae lander. We analyzed…
Studying materials released from Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) -- as seen in their inner com\ae, the envelope of gas and dust that forms as the comet approaches the Sun -- improves the understanding of their origin and evolutionary history.…
We present recent observations of main-belt comet P/2010 R2 (La Sagra) obtained using the Gemini North telescope on five nights in late 2011 and early 2013 during portions of the object's orbit when dust emission was expected to be minimal…
We present a study of the newly-discovered main-belt comet P/2008 R1 (Garradd), an object with the dynamical characteristics of an asteroid and the physical characteristics of a comet. Photometry sets a limit to the effective radius of the…
Comets, asteroids, and other small bodies are thought to be remnants of the original planetesimal population of the Solar System. As such, their physical, chemical, and isotopic properties hold crucial details on how and where they formed…