Related papers: Oort Cloud Comets Discovered Far from the Sun
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 re-examine the formation of the inner Oort comet cloud while the Sun was in its birth cluster with the aid of numerical simulations. This work is a continuation of an earlier study (Brasser et al., 2006) with several substantial…
Hundreds of high-velocity atomic gas clouds exist above and below the Galactic Centre, with some containing a molecular component. However, the origin of these clouds in the Milky Way's wind is unclear. This paper presents new…
The discovery probability of long-period comets (LPCs) passing near the Sun is highest during their first passage and then declines, or fades, during subsequent return passages. Comet fading is largely attributed to devolatilization and…
We present CCD VR_C observations of 6 distant comets located at heliocentric distances of 3.4--7.2 AU. Time-series data were obtained on three nights in July, 2000 covering 16 hours. Each comet was observed after the perihelion, when a…
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…
Comet C/2025 N1 or 3I/ATLAS is the third confirmed interstellar object. It has passed perihelion on 2025 October 29, and is currently on a path to leave the solar system. During its outbound journey, it will pass close to Jupiter at a…
The cratering record on the Earth and Moon shows that our planet has been exposed to high velocity impacts for much or all of its existence. Some of these craters were produced by the impact of long period comets (LPCs). These probably…
The Oort Cloud's dynamical evolution is significantly influenced by both the galactic tide and stellar flybys. This study investigates the particular case of HD7977's close encounter 2.47 Myr ago, which likely repopulated the Inner Oort…
According to a recent modified model of gravity at large distances, a radial constant and uniform extra-acceleration A_Rin of Rindler type acts upon a test particle p in the static field of a central mass M if certain conditions are…
To gain a greater insight into the impending evolution of the physical behavior of comet C/2012 S1, its light curve and orbital properties are compared with those for C/1962 C1 (Seki-Lines) and C/2002 O4 (Hoenig). All three are likely Oort…
Main Belt Comets (MBCs) exhibit sublimation-driven activity while occupying asteroid-like orbits in the Main Asteroid Belt. MBCs and candidates show stronger clustering of their longitudes of perihelion around 15{\deg} than other objects…
W3 is one of the most outstanding regions of high-mass star formation in the outer solar circle, including two active star-forming clouds, W3 Main and W3(OH). Based on a new analysis of the $^{12}$CO data obtained at 38$^{\prime\prime}$…
We report our new analysis of Oort-cloud comet C/2020 T2 (Palomar) (T2) observed at 2.06 au from the Sun (phase angle of 28.5 deg) about two weeks before perihelion. T2 lacks a significant dust tail in scattered light, showing a strong…
In recent years, evidence has been obtained that in the outer region of the Solar System (in the inner part of the Oort cloud), at a distance $\sim300-700$ AU from the Sun, there may be a captured planet or a primordial black hole. In this…
Radio observations from decimetric to submillimetric wavelengths are now a basic tool for the investigation of comets. Spectroscopic observations allow us i) to monitor the gas production rate of the comets, by directly observing the water…
Milgromian dynamics (MD or MOND) is a promising physical description excelling especially in galaxies. When formulated as a modified gravity theory, it leads to the so called external field effect (EFE). In the case of the solar system this…
The observation of interstellar objects 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov suggests the existence of a larger population of smaller projectiles that impact our planet with unbound orbits. We analyze an asteroidal grazing meteor (FH1) recorded by…
We analyse the population of near-Earth Long-Period Comets (LPCs) (perihelion distances q < 1.3 AU and orbital periods P > 10^3 yr). We have considered the sample of LPCs discovered during the period 1900-2009 and their estimated absolute…
We numerically investigate the features of typical orbits occurring in the Oort cloud (r\approx 50-150 kAU) in the low-acceleration regime of the MOdified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND). We take into account the so-called External Field Effect…