Rotation Period of 3I/ATLAS After Perihelion from Jet Position Angle Wobble and Photometric Variability

TL;DR

This study determines the post-perihelion rotation period of comet 3I/ATLAS using jet morphology and photometric variability, revealing a rotation period of approximately 7.1 hours and jet precession.

Contribution

It introduces a dual-method approach combining jet PA wobble analysis and photometry to measure comet rotation periods post-perihelion, providing new insights into comet dynamics.

Findings

Rotation period of 7.1 hours identified

Jet precession of 20 degrees observed

Rotation axis aligned with sunward direction

Abstract

We determine the post-perihelion rotation period of 3I/ATLAS using two independent diagnostics: the temporal modulation of the position angle (PA) of a persistent jet-like feature, and a time-series photometric light curve in the Gr (R) band. For the jet morphology, we measure the PA at multiple epochs by applying the Larson-Sekanina Rotational Gradient filter to Hubble Space Telescope images between November 20, 2025 and December 27, 2025, and model the phase-folded PA curve with weighted least-squares Fourier series up to two harmonics while scanning trial periods P to identify minima in \c{hi}2(P). For the photometry, we adopt the best-fit period from an independent 30-minute binned analysis (from a 0.25 meter telescope MPC L92) based on a refined \c{hi}2(P) profile for a sinusoidal model with nightly offsets. We find that the jet-PA modulation gives a period Pjet = 7.20 +/-0.05 h (adopting a conservative uncertainty dominated by sparse sampling and systematics), while the photometry yields Pphot = 7.136+/-0.001 h (formal 1{\sigma} uncertainty). Although the periods differ slightly, the offset is plausibly attributable to non-Gaussian systematics and aliasing. The combined data supports a post-perihelion rotation period of 7.1 h associated with precession of the jet structure around the rotation axis by 20{\deg}. The rotation axis is aligned with the sunward direction to within 20{\deg}