Comets are primitive remnants of the early Solar System whose composition offers fundamental clues to their formation and evolution. High-resolution, broad-wavelength spectroscopy is crucial for identifying volatile species and constraining […]
Comet
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Gemini North Observes Comet 3I/ATLAS
Interstellar objects are visitors from solar systems beyond our own, and the third ever such object, known as 3I/ATLAS, has just been discovered. Using the Gemini North telescope, astronomers have […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
From A Different Star: 3I/ATLAS In The Context Of The Ōtautahi-Oxford Interstellar Object Population Model
The discovery of the third interstellar object (ISO), 3I/ATLAS (`3I’), provides a rare chance to directly observe a small body from another Solar System.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Impact events, Status Report
Constraining The Survival Of HCN During Cometary Impacts
Cometary impacts have been invoked as an atmosphere-independent method of stockpiling hydrogen cyanide (HCN), a key prebiotic feedstock molecule, into environments favourable for the onset of prebiotic chemistry on the […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
VLT Timelapse Of 3I/ATLAS, A New Interstellar Object
ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has obtained new images of 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar object discovered last week. Identified as a comet, 3I/ATLAS is only the third visitor from outside the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
TNO Colours Provide New Evidence For A Past Close Flyby Of Another Star To The Solar System
Thousands of small bodies, known as trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), orbit the Sun beyond Neptune. TNOs are remnants of the planets’ formation from a disc of gas and dust, so it […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS May Be The Oldest Comet Ever Seen
A mystery interstellar object discovered last week is likely to be the oldest comet ever seen – possibly predating our solar system by more than three billion years, researchers say.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Discovery And Physical Description
We describe the physical characteristics of interstellar comet 3I\ATLAS, discovered on 2025 July 1 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Optical And Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Of The Outbursting Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
We present optical and near-infrared (NIR) observations of the outbursting, Halley-type comet 12P/Pons-Brooks.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Initial VLT/MUSE Spectroscopy Of The Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object to be discovered. Pre-perihelion measurements provide a unique opportunity to study its activity and composition, which may alter as it […]