Effect of different Non-Gravitational accelerations on the trajectory of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

TL;DR

This paper investigates how different non-gravitational accelerations, modeled through sublimation effects, influence the trajectory and perihelion distance of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it exits the solar system.

Contribution

It introduces a comparative analysis of symmetric and asymmetric sublimation models to assess their impact on the comet's trajectory using updated non-gravitational parameters.

Findings

Non-gravitational accelerations significantly affect the comet's trajectory.

Different sublimation models yield variations in perihelion distance predictions.

Results refine understanding of interstellar comet dynamics.

Abstract

Comet C/2025 N1 or 3I/ATLAS is the third confirmed interstellar object. It has passed perihelion on 2025 October 29, and is currently on a path to leave the solar system. During its outbound journey, it will pass close to Jupiter at a distance of 0.358 au. NASA JPL \textsc{Horizons} has updated the non-gravitational parameters of the comet based on the CO$_2$ sublimation model, where $g(r)= 1/r^2$. In this research note, we use the non-gravitational accelerations from \textsc{Horizons} together with symmetric and asymmetric H$_2$O sublimation models derived using \texttt{Find\_Orb} software. We calculate the resulting perijove distances and compare them with our earlier results at epoch JD 2460867.5.