Time-domain photometry and activity evolution of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with BHTOM

Gillan, A.; Wyrzykowski, Lukasz; Mikolajczyk, Przemyslaw; Kotysz, Krzysztof; Bufanda, Erica; Chandler, Colin; Fisek, SÜLEYMAN; Hsieh, Henry; Kelley, Michael; Pessi, Priscila; Robinson, James; Alis, SİNAN; Bykowski, Wienczyslaw; Cannon, Richard; Dominik, Martin; Handzlik, Barbara; Icen, Mehmet; Kurowski, Sebastian; Kutluay, Ahmet; Majumdar, Joysankar; Nehir, Caglayan; O'Neill, David; Otken, Sibel; Pu, Kangming; Simsir, Ozlem; Snodgrass, Colin; Tezcan, Cihan; Tezcan, Fatma; Wicker, Mauritz; Korhan Yelkenci, Fuat; Zejmo, Michal; Ackley, Kendall; Andersen, Michael; Avalos-Vega, Catalina; Belkin, Sergey; Bozza, Valerio; Breton, Rene; Burgdorf, Martin; Casares, Jorge; Dhillon, Vik; Donaldson, Abbie; Dyer, Martin; Figuera Jaimes, Roberto; Galloway, Duncan; Hinse, Tobias; Hundertmark, Markus; Khalouei, Elahe; Killestein, Thomas; Kotak, Rubina; Kumar, Amit; Liu, Feng-Yuan; Longa-Pena, Penelope; Lyman, Joe; Mancini, Luigi; Moharana, Ayush; Molina, Valeska; Noysena, Kanthanakorn; Nuttall, Laura; O'Brien, Paul; Okoth, Vincent; Opitom, Cyrielle; Pollacco, Don; Rabus, Markus; Ramsay, Gavin; Sajadian, Sedighe; Salinas San Martin, A.; Skottfelt, Jesper; Southworth, John; Steeghs, Danny; Tregloan-Reed, Jeremy; Ulaczyk, Krzysztof; Vieliute, Roberta

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202659913

Time-domain photometry and activity evolution of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with BHTOM

Gillan A. F., Wyrzykowski L., Mikolajczyk P. J., Kotysz K., Bufanda E., Chandler C. O., ...Daha Fazla

ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, cilt.714, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
Cilt numarası: 714
Basım Tarihi: 2026
Doi Numarası: 10.1051/0004-6361/202659913
Dergi Adı: ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Artic & Antarctic Regions, Compendex, INSPEC, zbMATH, Directory of Open Access Journals, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO)
İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Context. Time-domain photometric monitoring is essential for characterizing cometary evolution, particularly for rare interstellar objects with limited observing opportunities. Aims. We aimed to characterize the pre-perihelion photometric behavior and dust activity of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS and to test the capability of the Black Hole Target and Observation Manager (BHTOM) platform and telescope network for coordinated high-cadence non-sidereal observations. Methods. We obtained 70 days of time-series photometry of 3I/ATLAS from 2025 July 4 to September 11 using 16 telescopes and 1554 images. The data were processed and calibrated with the BHTOM pipeline. High-cadence multiband imaging was used to measure the rotation period and color evolution, while the dust activity was quantified via Af rho measurements. Results. Results. We present a pre-perihelion light curve of 3I/ATLAS from R-h = 3.18-2.19 au, which exhibited a steady brightening by similar to 3 magnitudes with no evidence of anomalous behavior. We measured a rotation period of P-rot = 15.98 +/- 0.08 h. The colors were statistically non-changing, with only a weak, non-significant tendency for 3I/ATLAS to become bluer at 3.5 > R-h > 2.2 au. The relative dust production increased from A(0 degrees)f rho similar to 600 to 1100 cm, and the upper limit on the dust mass-loss rate increased from <= 217 kg s(-1) to <= 328 kg s(-1). We measured an activity index of n = -1.24 +/- 0.02, which is consistent with a well-developed dust coma.