Related papers: Atomic carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen forbidden emis…
We present analysis of observations of CO2 and OI emission in three comets to measure the CO2 abundance and evaluate the possibility of employing observations of OI emission in comets as a proxy for CO2. We obtained NIR imaging sensitive to…
We report a survey of molecular emission from cometary volatiles using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) toward comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) carried out on UT 2022 September 21, 22, and 23 at a heliocentric distance…
Comets, during their journeys into the inner solar system, deliver volatile gases, organics, and particulates into their comae that provide crucial information for assessing the physico-chemical conditions in the outer disk from which they…
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) was discovered by the Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) Survey on 2017 May 21 at a distance 16.09 au from the Sun, the second most distant discovery of an active comet. Pre-discovery images in the PS1 archive back to 2014 and…
We present high-resolution optical spectroscopy of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) obtained with the High Dispersion Spectrograph mounted on the Subaru Telescope on UT 2026 January 7, when the comet was on its outbound trajectory at…
We report a new imaging spectroscopic observation of Oort-cloud comet C/2017 K2 (hereafter K2) on its way to perihelion at 2.53 au, around a heliocentric distance where H2O ice begins to play a key role in comet activation. Normalized…
C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is an Oort cloud comet previously observed to be active at heliocentric distances r>20 au on what is likely its first passage through the inner solar system. We observed the comet on 2021 March 19-20 at r=6.82 au…
We have recently developed a coupled chemistry-emission model for the green and red-doublet emissions of atomic oxygen on comet Hyakutake. In the present work we applied our model to comet Hale-Bopp, which had an order of magnitude higher…
Hyperactive comet activity typically becomes evident beyond the frost line (3 to 4 au) where it becomes too cold for water-ice to sublimate. If carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are the species that drive activity at…
Hypervolatile species such as carbon monoxide (CO) and molecular nitrogen (N2) have been detected in comets, and could be used to constrain comet formation temperature conditions if their presence is due to freeze-out and/or entrapment.…
Remote observation of spectroscopic emissions is a potential tool for the identification and quantification of various species in comets. CO Cameron band (to trace \cod) and atomic oxygen emissions (to trace H$_2$O and/or CO$_2$, CO) have…
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 report on high spectral resolution observations of comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) obtained at McDonald Observatory in June and July 2000. We report unequivocal detections of the O (1S) and O (1D) metastable lines in emission in the cometary…
Isotopic ratios in comets are critical to understanding the origin of cometary material and the physical and chemical conditions in the early solar nebula. Comet C/2015 ER61 (PANSTARRS) underwent an outburst with a total brightness increase…
CO and CO$_2$ are the two dominant carbon-bearing molecules in comae and have major roles in driving activity. Their relative abundances also provide strong observational constraints to models of solar system formation and evolution but…
We report high spectral resolving power optical observations of comet C/2017\,K2 (PanSTARRS) as it approached the Sun. This comet was discovered when it was 16\,{\sc au} from the Sun. At discovery, the comet had a large and relatively…
Observing [O I] emission to calculate an "oxygen line ratio" has been proposed as a potential proxy for direct CO$_2$ measurement in comets. However, the photochemistry governing [O I] release into the coma is not well understood, and using…
The line emission in the coma was measured in the comets C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) and C/2002 T7 (LINEAR), that were observed on five consecutive nights, 7-11 May 2004, at heliocentric distances of 1.0 and 0.7 AU, respectively, by means of…
Comets, relics from the early solar system, consist of dust and ice. The ice sublimates as comets approach the Sun, ejecting dust from their nuclei seen as activity. Different volatiles sublimate at different Sun-comet distances and eject…
We report spectra from 3000-5900 A for comet 96P/Machholz, obtained on 2007 Apr 27 UT with the 3-m Shane telescope at Lick Observatory. The spectra are extremely carbon poor, and show a prominent NH_2 series, but no CN emission. NH, NH_2,…