Observations Of Exocomets

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 β 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.

Judith Korth, Azib Norazman, Raphäel Bendahan-West, Grant Kennedy, Cristina Madurga Favieres, Daniela Iglesias, Olena Shubina, Siyi Xu, Nathan X. Roth

Comments: Accepted to Space Science Reviews
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
Cite as: arXiv:2603.19978 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2603.19978v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2603.19978
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Submission history
From: Judith Korth
[v1] Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:22:27 UTC (859 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.19978
Astrobiology,