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14 results on '"Prialnik, D."'

1. 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann: A Rosetta Stone for Amorphous Water Ice and CO <-> CO2 Conversion in Centaurs and Comets?

Author

Lisse, C. M., Steckloff, J. K., Prialnik, D., Womack, M., Harrington-Pinto, O., Sarid, G., Fernandez, Y. R., Schambeau, C. A., Kareta, T., Samarasinha, N. H., Harris, W., Volk, K., Woodney, L. M., Cruikshank, D. P., and Sandford, S. A.

Subjects
Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Abstract

Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 (SW1) is a highly active object orbiting in the transitional Gateway region (Sarid et al. 2019) between the Centaur and Jupiter Family Comet regions. SW1 is unique among the Centaurs in that it experiences quasi-regular major outbursts and produces CO emission continuously; however, the source of the CO is unclear. We argue that due to its very large size (approx. 32 km radius), SW1 is likely still responding, via amorphous water ice (AWI) conversion to crystalline water ice (CWI), to the rapid change in its external thermal environment produced by its dynamical migration from the Kuiper belt to the Gateway Region at the inner edge of the Centaur region at 6 au. It is this conversion process that is the source of the abundant CO and dust released from the object during its quiescent and outburst phases. If correct, these arguments have a number of important predictions testable via remote sensing and in situ spacecraft characterization, including: the quick release on Myr timescales of CO from AWI conversion for any few km-scale scattered disk KBO transiting into the inner system; that to date SW1 has only converted between 50 to 65% of its nuclear AWI to CWI; that volume changes upon AWI conversion could have caused subsidence and cave-ins, but not significant mass wasting or crater loss on SW1; that SW1s coma should contain abundant amounts of CWI CO2-rich icy dust particles; and that when SW1 transits into the inner system within the next 10,000 years, it will be a very different kind of JFC comet., Comment: 29 Pages, 3 Figures, 2 Tables, accepted 16-Sept-2022 by the Planetary Science Journal Corrected proof version 26-Oct-2022

Published
2022

2. The Castalia Mission to Main Belt Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro

Author

Snodgrass, C., Jones, G. H., Boehnhardt, H., Gibbings, A., Homeister, M., Andre, N., Beck, P., Bentley, M. S., Bertini, I., Bowles, N., Capria, M. T., Carr, C., Ceriotti, M., Coates, A. J., Della Corte, V., Hanna, K. L. Donaldson, Fitzsimmons, A., Gutierrez, P. J., Hainaut, O. R., Herique, A., Hilchenbach, M., Hsieh, H. H., Jehin, E., Karatekin, O., Kofman, W., Lara, L. M., Laudan, K., Licandro, J., Lowry, S. C., Marzari, F., Masters, A., Meech, K. J., Moreno, F., Morse, A., Orosei, R., Pack, A., Plettemeier, D., Prialnik, D., Rotundi, A., Rubin, M., Sanchez, J. P., Sheridan, S., Trieloff, M., and Winterboer, A.

Subjects
Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Abstract

We describe Castalia, a proposed mission to rendezvous with a Main Belt Comet (MBC), 133P/Elst-Pizarro. MBCs are a recently discovered population of apparently icy bodies within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which may represent the remnants of the population which supplied the early Earth with water. Castalia will perform the first exploration of this population by characterising 133P in detail, solving the puzzle of the MBC's activity, and making the first in situ measurements of water in the asteroid belt. In many ways a successor to ESA's highly successful Rosetta mission, Castalia will allow direct comparison between very different classes of comet, including measuring critical isotope ratios, plasma and dust properties. It will also feature the first radar system to visit a minor body, mapping the ice in the interior. Castalia was proposed, in slightly different versions, to the ESA M4 and M5 calls within the Cosmic Vision programme. We describe the science motivation for the mission, the measurements required to achieve the scientific goals, and the proposed instrument payload and spacecraft to achieve these., Comment: Accepted for publication in Advances in Space Research (special issue on Small Body Exploration). 30 pages

Published
2017
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3. The Castalia mission to Main Belt Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro

Author

Snodgrass, C., Jones, G.H., Boehnhardt, H., Gibbings, A., Homeister, M., Andre, N., Beck, P., Bentley, M.S., Bertini, I., Bowles, N., Capria, M.T., Carr, C., Ceriotti, M., Coates, A.J., Della Corte, V., Donaldson Hanna, K.L., Fitzsimmons, A., Gutiérrez, P.J., Hainaut, O.R., Herique, A., Hilchenbach, M., Hsieh, H.H., Jehin, E., Karatekin, O., Kofman, W., Lara, L.M., Laudan, K., Licandro, J., Lowry, S.C., Marzari, F., Masters, A., Meech, K.J., Moreno, F., Morse, A., Orosei, R., Pack, A., Plettemeier, D., Prialnik, D., Rotundi, A., Rubin, M., Sánchez, J.P., Sheridan, S., Trieloff, M., and Winterboer, A.

Published
2018
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4. 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 1: A Rosetta Stone for Amorphous Water Ice and CO ↔ CO2 Conversion in Centaurs and Comets?

Author

Lisse, C. M., primary, Steckloff, J. K., additional, Prialnik, D., additional, Womack, M., additional, Harrington Pinto, O., additional, Sarid, G., additional, Fernandez, Y. R., additional, Schambeau, C. A., additional, Kareta, T., additional, Samarasinha, N. H., additional, Harris, W., additional, Volk, K., additional, Woodney, L. M., additional, Cruikshank, D. P., additional, and Sandford, S. A., additional

Published
2022
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5. The Castalia mission to Main Belt Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro

Author

Science and Technology Facilities Council (UK), European Southern Observatory, Snodgrass, C., Jones, G. H., Boehnhardt, H., Gibbings, A., Homeister, M., Andre, N., Beck, P., Bentley, M. S., Bertini, I., Bowles, Neil, Capria, M. T., Carr, C., Ceriotti, M., Coates, A. J., Della Corte, V., Donaldson Hanna, K. L., Fitzsimmons, A., Gutiérrez, Pedro J., Hainaut, O. R., Herique, A., Hilchenbach, M., Hsieh, H. H., Jehin, E., Karatekin, O., Kofman, W., Lara, Luisa María, Laudan, K., Licandro, J., Lowry, S. C., Marzari, F., Masters, A., Meech, K. J., Moreno, Fernando, Morse, A., Orosei, R., Pack, A., Plettemeier, D., Prialnik, D., Rotundi, A., Rubin, M., Sánchez, J. P., Sheridan, S., Trieloff, M., Winterboer, A., Science and Technology Facilities Council (UK), European Southern Observatory, Snodgrass, C., Jones, G. H., Boehnhardt, H., Gibbings, A., Homeister, M., Andre, N., Beck, P., Bentley, M. S., Bertini, I., Bowles, Neil, Capria, M. T., Carr, C., Ceriotti, M., Coates, A. J., Della Corte, V., Donaldson Hanna, K. L., Fitzsimmons, A., Gutiérrez, Pedro J., Hainaut, O. R., Herique, A., Hilchenbach, M., Hsieh, H. H., Jehin, E., Karatekin, O., Kofman, W., Lara, Luisa María, Laudan, K., Licandro, J., Lowry, S. C., Marzari, F., Masters, A., Meech, K. J., Moreno, Fernando, Morse, A., Orosei, R., Pack, A., Plettemeier, D., Prialnik, D., Rotundi, A., Rubin, M., Sánchez, J. P., Sheridan, S., Trieloff, M., and Winterboer, A.

Abstract

We describe Castalia, a proposed mission to rendezvous with a Main Belt Comet (MBC), 133P/Elst-Pizarro. MBCs are a recently discovered population of apparently icy bodies within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which may represent the remnants of the population which supplied the early Earth with water. Castalia will perform the first exploration of this population by characterising 133P in detail, solving the puzzle of the MBC's activity, and making the first in situ measurements of water in the asteroid belt. In many ways a successor to ESA's highly successful Rosetta mission, Castalia will allow direct comparison between very different classes of comet, including measuring critical isotope ratios, plasma and dust properties. It will also feature the first radar system to visit a minor body, mapping the ice in the interior. Castalia was proposed, in slightly different versions, to the ESA M4 and M5 calls within the Cosmic Vision programme. We describe the science motivation for the mission, the measurements required to achieve the scientific goals, and the proposed instrument payload and spacecraft to achieve these. © 2017 COSPAR

Published
2018

8. CASTALIA : A mission to a main belt comet

Author

Jones, G. H., Altwegg, K., Bertini, I., Bieler, A., Boehnhardt, H., Bowles, N., Braukhane, A., Capria, M., T., Coates, A. J., Ciarletti, Valérie, Davidsson, B., Engrand, Cécile, Fitzsimmons, A., Gibbings, A., Hainaut, O., Hallmann, M., Herique, Alain, Hilchenbach, M., Homeister, M., Hsieh, H., Jehin, E., Kofman, W., Lara, L. M., Licandro, J., Lowry, S.C., Moreno, F., Muinonen, Karri, Paetzold, M., Penttilä, Antti, Plettmeier, Dirk, Prialnik, D., Marboeuf, U., Marzari, F., Meech, Karen J., Rotundi, A., Smith, A., Snodgrass, C., Thomas, I., Trieloff, M., Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL), University College of London [London] (UCL), Physikalisches Institut [Bern], Universität Bern [Bern], Centro di Ateneo di Studi e Attività Spaziali 'Giuseppe Colombo' (CISAS), Universita degli Studi di Padova, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences [Ann Arbor] (AOSS), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics [Oxford] (AOPP), University of Oxford [Oxford], DLR Institute of Space Systems, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali - INAF (IAPS), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Physics and Astronomy [Uppsala], Uppsala University, Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse (CSNSM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11), Astrophysics Research Centre [Belfast] (ARC), Queen's University [Belfast] (QUB), Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering [Univ Strathclyde], University of Strathclyde [Glasgow], European Southern Observatory (ESO), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG ), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), OHB Systems AG, Institute for Astronomy [Honolulu], University of Hawai‘i [Mānoa] (UHM), Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA), Academia Sinica, Institut d'Astrophysique et de Géophysique [Liège], Université de Liège, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science [Canterbury] (CAPS), University of Kent [Canterbury], Department of Physics [Helsinki], Falculty of Science [Helsinki], University of Helsinki-University of Helsinki, Universität zu Köln, Helsinki Institute of Physics (HIP), University of Helsinki, Technische Universität Dresden = Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden), Tel Aviv University [Tel Aviv], Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova (INFN, Sezione di Padova), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Universita degli studi di Napoli 'Parthenope' [Napoli], The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU), Universität Heidelberg [Heidelberg], IMPEC - LATMOS, Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering [Glasgow], University of Strathclyde, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] (CSIC), Technische Universität Dresden (TUD), National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Cardon, Catherine, Universität Bern [Bern] (UNIBE), Università degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua (Unipd), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung = Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), University of Oxford, Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Orbitale Hochtechnologie Bremen (OHB Systems AG), Helsingin yliopisto = Helsingfors universitet = University of Helsinki-Helsingin yliopisto = Helsingfors universitet = University of Helsinki, Universität zu Köln = University of Cologne, Helsingin yliopisto = Helsingfors universitet = University of Helsinki, Tel Aviv University (TAU), Università degli Studi di Napoli 'Parthenope' = University of Naples (PARTHENOPE), Universität Heidelberg [Heidelberg] = Heidelberg University, Mullard Space Science Laboratory ( MSSL ), University College of London [London] ( UCL ), Centro di Ateneo di Studi e Attività Spaziali 'Giuseppe Colombo' ( CISAS ), Universita degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua = Université de Padoue, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences [Ann Arbor] ( AOSS ), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung ( MPS ), Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics [Oxford] ( AOPP ), German Aerospace Center ( DLR ), Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali ( IAPS ), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica ( INAF ), Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales ( LATMOS ), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines ( UVSQ ) -Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 ( UPMC ) -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines ( UVSQ ) -Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 ( UPMC ) -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse ( CSNSM ), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 ( UP11 ) -Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS ( IN2P3 ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Astrophysics Research Centre [Belfast] ( ARC ), Queen's University [Belfast] ( QUB ), European Southern Observatory ( ESO ), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble ( IPAG ), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble ( OSUG ), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 ( UJF ) -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Université Grenoble Alpes ( UGA ) -Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 ( UJF ) -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Université Grenoble Alpes ( UGA ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), University of Hawaii at Manoa ( UHM ), Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics [Taipei] ( ASIAA ), Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía ( IAA ), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] ( CSIC ), Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias ( IAC ), Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science [Canterbury] ( CAPS ), University of Helsinki [Helsinki], Helsinki Institute of Physics ( HIP ), Technische Universität Dresden ( TUD ), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova ( INFN, Sezione di Padova ), National Institute for Nuclear Physics ( INFN ), and The Open University [Milton Keynes] ( OU )

Subjects
[SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], [SDU.ASTR.EP] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], [ SDU.ASTR.EP ] Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP]
Abstract

International audience; Main Belt Comets (MBCs), a type of Active Asteroid , constitute a newly identified class of solar system objects. They have stable, asteroid-like orbits and some exhibit a recurrent comet-like appearance. It is believed that they survived the age of the solar system in a dormant state and that their current ice sublimation driven activity only began recently. Buried water ice is the only volatile expected to survive under an insulating surface. Excavation by an impact can expose the ice and trigger the start of MBC activity. We present the case for a mission to one of these objects, to be submitted to the European Space Agency's current call for an M-class mission. The specific science goals of the Castalia mission are: 1. Characterize a new Solar System family, the MBCs, by in-situ investigation 2. Understand the physics of activity on MBCs 3. Directly sample water in the asteroid belt and test if MBCs are a viable source for Earth's water 4. Use the observed structure of an MBC as a tracer of planetary system formation and evolution.

Published
2015

13. Observational signatures of SNIa progenitors, as predicted by models.

Author

Hillman, Y., Prialnik, D., Kovetz, A., and Shara, M. M.

Subjects
*SUPERNOVAE, *GALACTIC X-ray sources, *CATACLYSMIC variable stars, *ASTRONOMICAL spectroscopy, *GALAXIES, *STELLAR luminosity function, *ASTRONOMICAL surveys, *ASTRONOMICAL observations
Abstract

A definitive determination of the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNIa) has been a conundrum for decades. The single degenerate scenario - a white dwarf (WD) in a semi-detached binary system accreting mass from its secondary - is a plausible path; however, no simulation to date has shown that such an outcome is possible. In this study, we allowed aW Dwith a near Chandrasekhar mass of 1.4M☉ to evolve over tens of thousands of nova cycles, accumulating mass secularly while undergoing periodic nova eruptions. We present themass accretion limits within which an SNIa can possibly occur. The results showed, for each parameter combination within the permitted limits, tens of thousands of virtually identical nova cycles where the accreted mass exceeded the ejected mass, i.e. the WD grew slowly but steadily in mass. Finally, the WD became unstable, the maximal temperature rose by nearly two orders of magnitude, heavy element production was enhanced by orders of magnitude and the nuclear and neutrino luminosities became enormous. We also found that this mechanism leading to WD collapse is robust, with WDs in the range 1.0-1.38M☉, and an accretion rate of 5×10-7M☉ yr-1, all growing steadily in mass. These simulations of the onset of an SNIa event make observationally testable predictions about the light curves of pre-SN stars, and about the chemistry of SNIa ejecta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2015
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14. Non-gravitational acceleration in the trajectory of 1I/2017 U1 ('Oumuamua).

Author

Micheli M, Farnocchia D, Meech KJ, Buie MW, Hainaut OR, Prialnik D, Schörghofer N, Weaver HA, Chodas PW, Kleyna JT, Weryk R, Wainscoat RJ, Ebeling H, Keane JV, Chambers KC, Koschny D, and Petropoulos AE

Abstract

'Oumuamua (1I/2017 U1) is the first known object of interstellar origin to have entered the Solar System on an unbound and hyperbolic trajectory with respect to the Sun 1 . Various physical observations collected during its visit to the Solar System showed that it has an unusually elongated shape and a tumbling rotation state 1-4 and that the physical properties of its surface resemble those of cometary nuclei 5,6 , even though it showed no evidence of cometary activity 1,5,7 . The motion of all celestial bodies is governed mostly by gravity, but the trajectories of comets can also be affected by non-gravitational forces due to cometary outgassing 8 . Because non-gravitational accelerations are at least three to four orders of magnitude weaker than gravitational acceleration, the detection of any deviation from a purely gravity-driven trajectory requires high-quality astrometry over a long arc. As a result, non-gravitational effects have been measured on only a limited subset of the small-body population 9 . Here we report the detection, at 30σ significance, of non-gravitational acceleration in the motion of 'Oumuamua. We analyse imaging data from extensive observations by ground-based and orbiting facilities. This analysis rules out systematic biases and shows that all astrometric data can be described once a non-gravitational component representing a heliocentric radial acceleration proportional to r -2 or r -1 (where r is the heliocentric distance) is included in the model. After ruling out solar-radiation pressure, drag- and friction-like forces, interaction with solar wind for a highly magnetized object, and geometric effects originating from 'Oumuamua potentially being composed of several spatially separated bodies or having a pronounced offset between its photocentre and centre of mass, we find comet-like outgassing to be a physically viable explanation, provided that 'Oumuamua has thermal properties similar to comets.

Published
2018
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