JWST mid-IR observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS yield the first direct methane detection and confirm strongly enhanced CO2:H2O mixing ratios relative to solar system comets.
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5 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
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astro-ph.EP 5representative citing papers
Post-perihelion UVES spectra of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveal elevated NiI and FeI production explained by direct sublimation of Ni(CO)4 and Fe(CO)5 from subsurface layers, with a transient heat source accounting for the pre-perihelion Ni excess.
An analytic sky-motion formula applied to synthetic interstellar object populations indicates that high velocities, particularly for dim objects, may cause many to go undetected, implying a larger galactic population than currently observed.
The paper estimates 3I/ATLAS lost 1.05-6.56 meters of surface material (0.10-1.13% of its mass, or 10^9-10^10 kg) during its solar system passage based on observed production rates.
No stellar flybys within the past 10 Myr and 500 pc in Gaia DR3 explain the present trajectory of 3I/ATLAS, which matches thin-disk kinematics despite its high peculiar velocity.
citing papers explorer
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Origin and evolution of NiI and FeI in the coma of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS throughout its trajectory
Post-perihelion UVES spectra of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveal elevated NiI and FeI production explained by direct sublimation of Ni(CO)4 and Fe(CO)5 from subsurface layers, with a transient heat source accounting for the pre-perihelion Ni excess.
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3I/ATLAS: In Search of the Witnesses to Its Voyage
No stellar flybys within the past 10 Myr and 500 pc in Gaia DR3 explain the present trajectory of 3I/ATLAS, which matches thin-disk kinematics despite its high peculiar velocity.