Search for: All records

Abstract Small bodies exist in distinct populations within their planetary systems. These reservoir populations hold a range of compositions, which to first order are dependent on formation location relative to their star. We provide a general overview of the nature of the reservoirs that source exocomets, from the influence of the stellar environment through planetesimal formation to comparisons with Solar System populations. Once transitioned from a young protoplanetary disc to a debris disc, a star can expect to be rained with exocomets. While exocomets are predominantly detected to date at A-type stars, planetesimals plausibly exist across a range of stellar masses, based on exoplanet abundance, debris disc occurrence and white dwarf infall. 

Abstract The recent discovery of the third interstellar object (3I/ATLAS) expands the known census from two to three and significantly improves statistical inferences regarding the underlying Galactic population. In this Letter, we argue that cometary activity likely significantly contributes to 3I/ATLAS’s brightness since the nuclear size inferred when assuming an asteroidal reflectance implies an untenable interstellar object mass per star. Relative to the Sun, 3I/ATLAS exhibits a high excess velocity ofv_∞= 58 km s⁻¹, which implies that 3I/ATLAS is relatively old in comparison to previous interstellar objects. Here, we calculate the posterior distribution of ages implied by the kinematics of the interstellar objects and find that 3I/ATLAS is likely ∼3–11 Gyr old, assuming that the interstellar object and stellar age–velocity dispersion relations are equivalent. We also calculate the distribution of host star metallicities and find that 3I/ATLAS has a 12% chance of originating from a star with [Fe/H] ≤ −0.4. These results show that interstellar object formation is likely efficient at low metallicities and early in the history of the Galaxy. Finally, we estimate the interstellar object formation rate throughout Galactic history implied by these three objects. As future interstellar objects are discovered, the framework presented here can be applied to further refine this calculation. Comparison between the interstellar object and stellar formation histories will provide unique insights into the history of stellar system formation in the Galaxy. 

Abstract 3I/ATLAS is the third macroscopic interstellar object detected traversing the solar system. Since its initial discovery on UT 2025 July 1, hundreds of hours on a range of observational facilities have been dedicated to measuring the physical properties of this object. These observations have provided astrometry to refine the orbital solution, photometry to measure the color, a rotation period and secular light curve, and spectroscopy to characterize the composition of the coma. Here, we report precovery photometry of 3I/ATLAS as observed with NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). 3I/ATLAS was observed nearly continuously by TESS from UT 2025 May 7 to 2025 June 2. We use the shift-stack method to create deepstack images to recover the object. These composite images reveal that 3I/ATLAS has an average TESS magnitude ofT_mag = 20.83 ± 0.05, 19.28 ± 0.05 and an absolute visual magnitude ofH_V = 13.72 ± 0.35;12.52 ± 0.35, the latter being consistent with magnitudes reported in 2025 July. When coupled with recent Hubble Space Telescope images deriving a nucleus size ofR< 2.8 km (H> 15.4), our measurements suggest that 3I/ATLAS may have been active out at ∼6 au. Additionally, we extract a ∼20 day light curve and find no statistically significant evidence of a nucleus rotation period. Nevertheless, the data presented here are some of the earliest precovery images of 3I/ATLAS and may be used in conjunction with future observations to constrain the properties of our third interstellar interloper. 

Abstract Interstellar objects provide a direct window into the environmental conditions around stars other than the Sun. The recent discovery of 3I/ATLAS, a new interstellar comet, offers a unique opportunity to investigate the physical and chemical properties of interstellar objects and to compare them with those of comets in our own solar system. In this Letter we present the results of a 10 night spectroscopic and photometric monitoring campaign with the 2.4 m Hiltner and 1.3 m McGraw–Hill telescopes at the MDM Observatory. The campaign was conducted between August 8 and 17 while 3I/ATLAS was inbound at heliocentric distances of 3.2–2.9 au. Our observations captured the onset of optical gas activity. Nightly spectra reveal a weak CN emission feature in the coma of 3I/ATLAS, absent during the first nights but steadily strengthening thereafter. We measure a CN production rate ofQ(CN) ∼ 6 × 10²⁴s⁻¹, toward the lower end of activity observed in solar system comets. Simultaneous photometry also indicates a small but measurable increase in the coma’s radial profile and increasingr-bandAfρwith values in the order of ∼300 cm. We derived a gas-to-dust production ratio of $\log Q\left(\mathrm{CN}\right)/Af\rho \sim 22.4$. Our upper limit on the C₂-to-CN ratio ( $\log Q\left({\mathrm{C}}_2\right)/Q\left(\mathrm{CN}\right)\lesssim -0.8$) indicates that 3I/ATLAS is a strongly carbon-chain-depleted comet. Further observations of 3I/ATLAS are required to verify the apparent carbon-chain depletion and to explore whether such composition represents a recurring trait of the interstellar comet population. 

Abstract We report initial observations aimed at the characterization of a third interstellar object. This object, 3I/ATLAS or C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), was discovered on 2025 July 1 UT and has an orbital eccentricity ofe ∼ 6.1, perihelion ofq ∼ 1.36 au, inclination of ∼175°, and hyperbolic velocity ofV_∞ ∼ 58 km s⁻¹. We report deep stacked images obtained using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope and the Very Large Telescope that resolve a compact coma. Using images obtained from several smaller ground-based telescopes, we find minimal light-curve variation for the object over a ∼4 day time span. The visible/near-infrared spectral slope of the object is 17.1% ± 0.2%/100 nm, comparable to other interstellar objects and primitive solar system small bodies (comets and D-type asteroids). Moreover, 3I/ATLAS will be observable through early 2025 September, then unobservable by Earth-based observatories near perihelion due to low solar elongation. It will be observable again from the ground in late 2025 November. Although this limitation unfortunately prohibits detailed Earth-based observations at perihelion when the activity of 3I/ATLAS is likely to peak, spacecraft at Mars could be used to make valuable observations at this time. 

Abstract We present a novel method of constraining volcanic activity on extrasolar terrestrial worlds via characterization of circumstellar plasma tori. Our work generalizes the physics of the Io plasma torus to propose a hypothetical circumstellar plasma torus generated by exoplanetary volcanism. The quasi-steady torus mass is determined by a balance between material injection and ejection rates from volcanic activity and corotating magnetospheric convection, respectively. By estimating the Alfvén surfaces of planet-hosting stars, we calculate the torus mass-removal timescale for a number of exoplanets with properties amenable to plasma torus construction. Assuming a uniform toroidal geometry comparable to Io’s “warm” torus, we calculate quasi-steady torus masses inferable from the optical depth of atomic spectral features in torus-contaminated stellar spectra. The calculated quasi-steady masses can be used to constrain the volcanic outgassing rates of each species detected in the torus, providing quantitative estimates of bulk volcanic activity and interior composition with minimal assumptions. Such insight into the interior state of an exoplanet is otherwise accessible only after destruction via tidal forces. We demonstrate the feasibility of our method by showcasing known exoplanets that are susceptible to tidal heating and could generate readily detectable tori with realistic outgassing rates of order 1 t s⁻¹, comparable to the Io plasma torus mass injection rate. This methodology may be applied to stellar spectra measured with ultraviolet instruments with sufficient resolution to detect atomic lines and sensitivity to recover the ultraviolet continuum of GKM dwarf stars. This further motivates the need for ultraviolet instrumentation above Earth’s atmosphere. 

Abstract Assessing the prevalence of atmospheres on rocky planets around M-dwarf stars is a top priority of exoplanet science. High-energy activity from M dwarfs can destroy the atmospheres of these planets, which could explain the lack of atmosphere detections to date. Volcanic outgassing has been proposed as a mechanism to replenish the atmospheres of tidally heated rocky planets. L 98-59 b, a sub-Earth transiting a nearby M dwarf, was recently identified as the most promising exoplanet to detect a volcanic atmosphere. We present the transmission spectrum of L 98-59 b from four transits observed with JWST NIRSpec G395H. Although the airless model provides an adequate fit to the data based on itsχ², an SO₂atmosphere is preferred by 3.6σover a flat line in terms of the Bayesian evidence. Such an atmosphere would likely be in a steady state where volcanism balances escape. If so, L 98-59 b must experience at least eight times as much volcanism and tidal heating per unit mass as Io. If volcanism is driven by runaway melting of the mantle, we predict the existence of a subsurface magma ocean in L 98-59 b extending up toR_p ∼  60%–90%. An SO₂-rich volcanic atmosphere on L 98-59 b would be indicative of an oxidized mantle with an oxygen fugacity offO₂ > IW + 2.7, and it would imply that L 98-59 b must have retained some of its volatile endowment despite its proximity to its star. Our findings suggest that volcanism may revive secondary atmospheres on tidally heated rocky planets around M dwarfs. 

Abstract Nongravitational accelerations in the absence of observed activity have recently been identified on near-Earth objects (NEOs), opening the question of the prevalence of anisotropic mass loss in the near-Earth environment. Motivated by the necessity of nongravitational accelerations to identify 2010 VL₆₅and 2021 UA₁₂as a single object, we investigate the problem of linking separate apparitions in the presence of nongravitational perturbations. We find that nongravitational accelerations on the order of 1 × 10^–9au day⁻²can lead to a change in plane-of-sky positions of ∼1 × 10³arcsec between apparitions. Moreover, we inject synthetic tracklets of hypothetical nongravitationally accelerating NEOs into the Minor Planet Center orbit identification algorithms. We find that at large nongravitational accelerations (∣A_i∣ ≥ 1 × 10⁻⁸au day⁻²) these algorithms fail to link a significant fraction of these tracklets. We further show that if orbits can be determined for both apparitions, the tracklets will be linked regardless of nongravitational accelerations, although they may be linked to multiple objects. In order to aid in the identification and linkage of nongravitationally accelerating objects, we propose and test a new methodology to search for unlinked pairs. When applied to the current census of NEOs, we recover the previously identified case but identify no new linkages. We conclude that current linking algorithms are generally robust to nongravitational accelerations, but objects with large nongravitational accelerations may potentially be missed. While current algorithms are well-positioned for the anticipated increase in the census population from future survey missions, it may be possible to find objects with large nongravitational accelerations hidden in isolated tracklet pairs. 

Abstract Stellar flares are short-duration (< hours) bursts of radiation associated with surface magnetic reconnection events. Stellar magnetic activity generally decreases as a function of both the age and Rossby number,R₀, a measure of the relative importance of the convective and rotational dynamos. Young stars (<300 Myr) have typically been overlooked in population-level flare studies due to challenges with flare-detection methods. Here, we select a sample of stars that are members of 26 nearby moving groups, clusters, or associations with ages <300 Myr that have been observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite at 2 minute cadence. We identified 26,355 flares originating from 3160 stars and robustly measured the rotation periods of 1847 stars. We measure and find the flare frequency distribution slope,α, saturates for all spectral types atα∼ −0.5 and is constant over 300 Myr. Additionally, we find that flare rates for starst_age= 50–250 Myr are saturated belowR₀< 0.14, which is consistent with other indicators of magnetic activity. We find evidence of annual flare rate variability in eleven stars, potentially correlated with long-term stellar activity cycles. Additionally, we crossmatch our entire sample with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer and find no correlation between flare rate and far- and near-ultraviolet flux. Finally, we find the flare rates of planet-hosting stars are relatively lower than comparable, larger samples of stars, which may have ramifications for the atmospheric evolution of short-period exoplanets. 

Abstract The discovery of two interstellar objects passing through the solar system, 1I/‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, implies that a galactic population exists with a spatial number density of order ∼0.1 au⁻³. The forthcoming Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) has been predicted to detect more asteroidal interstellar objects like 1I/‘Oumuamua. We apply recently developed methods to simulate a suite of galactic populations of interstellar objects with a range of assumed kinematics, albedos, and size–frequency distributions (SFDs). We incorporate these populations into the objectsInField algorithm, which simulates detections of moving objects by an arbitrary survey. We find that the LSST should detect between ∼0 and 70 asteroidal interstellar objects every year (assuming the implied number density), with sensitive dependence on the SFD slope and characteristic albedo of the host population. The apparent rate of motion on the sky—along with the associated trailing loss—appears to be the largest barrier to detecting interstellar objects. Specifically, a relatively large number of synthetic objects would be detectable by the LSST if not for their rapid sky motion (>0.°5 day⁻¹). Therefore, algorithms that could successfully link and detect rapidly moving objects would significantly increase the number of interstellar object discoveries with the LSST (and in general). The mean diameter of detectable, inactive interstellar objects ranges from ∼50 to 600 m and depends sensitively on the SFD slope and albedo.