Michele T. Bannister
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View article: An Overview of Exocomets
An Overview of Exocomets Open
We give a general overview of what the scientific community refers to as "exocomets". The general definition of exocomets, as presented in this work, is discussed and compared with Solar System comets and interstellar objects, addressing t…
View article: Nitrogen-bearing Species on Trans-Neptunian Objects Revealed by JWST/DiSCo-TNOs
Nitrogen-bearing Species on Trans-Neptunian Objects Revealed by JWST/DiSCo-TNOs Open
C≡N-bearing species are valuable tracers of nitrogen chemistry in the solar system. Ranging from volatile compounds like HCN and CH 3 CN in cometary comae to refractory CN-bearing organics in some micrometeorites and interplanetary dust pa…
View article: The Origins & Reservoirs of Exocomets
The Origins & Reservoirs of Exocomets Open
View article: Snapshot of a new interstellar comet: 3I/ATLAS has a red and featureless spectrum
Snapshot of a new interstellar comet: 3I/ATLAS has a red and featureless spectrum Open
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 is heated in the coming months. W…
View article: TESSELLATE: Piecing Together the Variable Sky with TESS
TESSELLATE: Piecing Together the Variable Sky with TESS Open
We present TESSELLATE , a dedicated pipeline for performing an untargeted search documenting all variable phenomena captured by the TESS space telescope. Building on the TESSreduce difference imaging pipeline, TESSELLATE extracts calibrate…
View article: From a Different Star: 3I/ATLAS in the Context of the Ōtautahi–Oxford Interstellar Object Population Model
From a Different Star: 3I/ATLAS in the Context of the Ōtautahi–Oxford Interstellar Object Population Model Open
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. Studying its chemistry and dynamics will add to our understanding of how the processe…
View article: The Visibility of the Ōtautahi–Oxford Interstellar Object Population Model in LSST
The Visibility of the Ōtautahi–Oxford Interstellar Object Population Model in LSST Open
With a new probabilistic technique for sampling interstellar object (ISO) orbits with high efficiency, we assess the observability of ISOs under a realistic cadence for the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Ti…
View article: Formation of Planetesimals in the Outer Solar System
Formation of Planetesimals in the Outer Solar System Open
The Solar System hosts the most studied and best understood major and minor planetary bodies - and the only extraterrestrial bodies to have been visited by spacecraft. The Solar System therefore provides important constraints on both the i…
View article: He Awa Whiria: The Tidal Streams of Interstellar Objects
He Awa Whiria: The Tidal Streams of Interstellar Objects Open
Upcoming surveys are likely to discover a new sample of interstellar objects (ISOs) within the solar system, but questions remain about the origin and distribution of this population within the Galaxy. ISOs are ejected from their host syst…
View article: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Observations of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1)
NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Observations of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) Open
We report on the observation and measurement of astrometry, photometry, morphology, and activity of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, also designated C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), with the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The third interstellar obj…
View article: Discovery and dynamics of a Sedna-like object with a perihelion of 66 au
Discovery and dynamics of a Sedna-like object with a perihelion of 66 au Open
View article: The Chemodynamics of Interstellar Objects
The Chemodynamics of Interstellar Objects Open
In preparation for Rubin and an upcoming targeted precursor survey on CFHT, we present the latest version of the Ōtautahi-Oxford model for the detection of ISOs by LSST, including predictions for the velocity distribution of such objects i…
View article: Streams of interstellar objects
Streams of interstellar objects Open
Upcoming surveys are likely to discover a new sample of interstellar objects (ISOs) within the Solar System, but questions remain about the origin and distribution of this population within the Galaxy. ISOs are ejected from their host syst…
View article: A portrait throughout perihelion of the NH2-rich interstellar comet 2I/Borisov
A portrait throughout perihelion of the NH2-rich interstellar comet 2I/Borisov Open
The interstellar comet 2I/Borisov is the first interstellar object where compositional characterisation was possible throughout its entire perihelion passage. We report all 16 epochs of a comprehensive optical observation campaign with ESO…
View article: Nitrogen-bearing species at the surface of TNOs revealed by DiSCo-JWST: a chemical reservoir for nitrogen-rich grains in the inner the Solar System.
Nitrogen-bearing species at the surface of TNOs revealed by DiSCo-JWST: a chemical reservoir for nitrogen-rich grains in the inner the Solar System. Open
IntroductionThe C≡N functional group (hereafter CN) can be incorporated into a diverse range of molecular structures, ranging from simpler cyanides like HCN to semi-refractory salts like NH4+OCN– and larger and more complex polymeric refra…
View article: Compositional Characterization of Cliff-Type Trans-Neptunian Objects
Compositional Characterization of Cliff-Type Trans-Neptunian Objects Open
Introduction: Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) harbor materials from the early solar nebula (e.g., Gladman et al. 2008; Tegler et al. 2016). Observations from the NIRSpec instrument onboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) included >50 …
View article: The potential for quasi-interstellar objects
The potential for quasi-interstellar objects Open
A population of interstellar objects (ISOs) may exist that originate from the Solar System, rather than from other stars. Such a foreground would challenge straightforward analysis of the ISO sample expected to be gathered by upcoming sky …
View article: Innovations in Modern Survey Simulation: Predicting Interstellar Objects in LSST
Innovations in Modern Survey Simulation: Predicting Interstellar Objects in LSST Open
Survey simulation is a numerical tool used to contextualize the discoveries of modern surveys. In Solar System science, telescopic campaigns yield biased subsets of the overall intrinsic small body populations. Understanding the observatio…
View article: A portrait throughout perihelion of the NH$_2$-rich interstellar comet 2I/Borisov
A portrait throughout perihelion of the NH$_2$-rich interstellar comet 2I/Borisov Open
The interstellar comet 2I/Borisov is the first interstellar object where compositional characterisation was possible throughout its entire perihelion passage. We report all 16 epochs of a comprehensive optical observation campaign with ESO…
View article: Snapshot of a new interstellar comet: 3I/ATLAS has a red and featureless spectrum
Snapshot of a new interstellar comet: 3I/ATLAS has a red and featureless spectrum Open
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 is heated in the coming months. W…
View article: Near-future rocket launches could slow ozone recovery
Near-future rocket launches could slow ozone recovery Open
View article: Semi-analytic Orbits: A Practical Implementation of Lynden-Bell's Planar Orbits and Extension to Vertical Oscillations
Semi-analytic Orbits: A Practical Implementation of Lynden-Bell's Planar Orbits and Extension to Vertical Oscillations Open
We present a practical implementation of the perturbation theory derived by Lynden-Bell (2015) for describing, to arbitrary precision, the orbit of a particle in an arbitrary spherically-symmetric potential. Our implementation corrects min…
View article: Spectral Diversity of DiSCo’s TNOs Revealed by JWST: Early Sculpting and Late Irradiation
Spectral Diversity of DiSCo’s TNOs Revealed by JWST: Early Sculpting and Late Irradiation Open
The spectral diversity of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) is crucial for understanding the processes that led to the formation and evolution of planetesimals in the outer solar system. Using near-IR (NIR) spectra obtained by the James Webb …
View article: An Extremely Deep Rubin Survey to Explore the Extended Kuiper Belt and Identify Objects Observable by New Horizons
An Extremely Deep Rubin Survey to Explore the Extended Kuiper Belt and Identify Objects Observable by New Horizons Open
A proposed Vera C. Rubin Observatory Deep Drilling micro-survey of the Kuiper Belt will investigate key properties of the distant solar system. Utilizing 30 hours of Rubin time across six 5-hour visits over one year starting in summer 2026…
View article: Near-future rocket launches could slow ozone recovery
Near-future rocket launches could slow ozone recovery Open
Rocket emissions damage the stratospheric ozone layer, which protects life from harmful solar radiation. To understand if significant ozone losses could occur as the launch industry grows, we examine two scenarios of industry aspirations. …
View article: TESSELLATE: Piecing Together the Variable Sky With TESS
TESSELLATE: Piecing Together the Variable Sky With TESS Open
We present TESSELLATE, a dedicated pipeline for performing an untargeted search documenting all variable phenomena captured by the TESS space telescope. Building on the TESSreduce difference imaging pipeline, TESSELLATE extracts calibrated…
View article: The visibility of the Ōtautahi-Oxford interstellar object population model in LSST
The visibility of the Ōtautahi-Oxford interstellar object population model in LSST Open
With a new probabilistic technique for sampling interstellar object (ISO) orbits with high efficiency, we assess the observability of ISOs under a realistic cadence for the upcoming Vera Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time …
View article: <tt>starkiller</tt>: Subtracting Stars and Other Sources from IFU Spectroscopic Data Through Forward Modeling
starkiller: Subtracting Stars and Other Sources from IFU Spectroscopic Data Through Forward Modeling Open
We present starkiller , an open-source Python package for forward-modeling flux retrieval from integral field unit (IFU) spectrograph data cubes. starkiller simultaneously provides stellar spectral classification, relative velocity, and li…
View article: Predicting Interstellar Object Chemodynamics with Gaia
Predicting Interstellar Object Chemodynamics with Gaia Open
The interstellar object (ISO) population of the Milky Way is a product of its stars. However, what is in fact a complex structure in the solar neighborhood has traditionally in ISO studies been described as smoothly distributed. Using a de…
View article: Irradiation origin and stability of CO on trans-Neptunian objects
Irradiation origin and stability of CO on trans-Neptunian objects Open
Context . The James Webb Space Telescope large program DiSCo-TNOs has recently shown that CO 2 ice is ubiquitous on 54 mediumsize trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). TNO surfaces are found to define three main spectral and thus compositional g…