Near-Discovery Observations of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS with the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility

TL;DR

This study presents early infrared and optical observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, revealing its spectral properties and lack of water ice signatures, providing insights into its composition and differences from Solar System comets.

Contribution

First near-infrared spectrum and detailed optical observations of 3I/ATLAS, highlighting its unique spectral features and potential compositional differences from Solar System comets.

Findings

Spectral slope indicates a complex grain composition.

No obvious water ice signatures detected.

Color and spectrum similar to other near-discovery observations.

Abstract

Interstellar Objects are comets and asteroids that formed around other stars but were ejected before they could accrete into exoplanets. They therefore represent a rare opportunity to compare the building blocks of planets in the Solar System to those in other stellar systems. The third Interstellar Object, 3I/ATLAS, is the newest, brightest, potentially largest, and fastest member of this population. We report observations of 3I/ATLAS taken on 2025 July 3 and 4 with the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility just days after its discovery. In r'-band imaging with 'Opihi, we see no obvious lightcurve variability and derive a g'-i' color of 0.98+/-0.03 which is consistent in spectral slope to other near-discovery observations. We obtained the first near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectrum of 3I/ATLAS with SpeX. The visible color and NIR spectrum show a linear, red visible slope, a somewhat less red slope between 0.7 and 1.1 $\mu{m}$, and a neutral or slightly blue slope at longer wavelengths. Challenges in modeling the reflectivity of 3I may indicate that this comet has a complex grain size distribution, grain compositions unlike Solar system comets, or both. Like 2I/Borisov, there are no obvious signatures of water ice in the coma of 3I/ATLAS. Observations closer to perihelion will help elucidate whether 3I has less water than anticipated or whether the Interstellar Objects might retain and release their ices somewhat differently than Solar System comets do.