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Physics Astrophysics Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

astro-ph.EP Watch Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Wednesday 5 August

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Size Constraints for the Pre-atmospheric Parent Bodies of Ordinary Chondrites

Juan A. Sanchez, David C. Cantillo, Adam Battle et al. (+7 more)

The study of S-complex near-Earth objects (NEOs), the parent bodies of ordinary chondrites, has shown that they are dominated by asteroids with LL chondrite-like compositions. This is surprising because among the three subtypes of ordinary chondrites (H, L, and LL), LL chondrites are the least common, representing only 10% of all ordinary chondrite falls. This discrepancy has been attributed to the size of the NEOs studied, which are likely too large to be the immediate precursors of the meteorites that fall on Earth. To test this hypothesis, we obtained near-infrared spectra (0.7-2.5 $\mu$m) of a group of objects with absolute magnitudes 20.0 $\leq$ $H$ $\leq$ 29.2 (sizes $\sim$4-343 m). The sample was divided into subgroups based on their $H$ value, and the composition of the asteroids was determined. We found that the dominance of LL chondrite-like objects disappears at sizes of $\sim$31-49 m. At this size range, asteroids with L chondrite-like compositions become dominant, matching the fraction of L chondrite meteorite falls. In contrast, the fraction of H chondrite-like NEOs was found to be much lower than the proportion of H chondrite falls, even among the smallest objects. We determined an upper size limit of $\sim$18 m for the parent bodies of these meteorites. The same upper limit was established for the pre-atmospheric parent bodies of LL chondrites. These results constitute the first observational evidence for a size dependence in the composition of S-complex NEOs.
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All authors Juan A. Sanchez, David C. Cantillo, Adam Battle, Miren Miranda, Benjamin N. L. Sharkey, Tanner S. Campbell, Rogerio Deienno, William F. Bottke, David Nesvorný, Vishnu Reddy

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Cross-listed from astro-ph.GA

Inventories of Rich Carbon-Chain Chemistry in Prestellar and Starless Cores in the Perseus Molecular Cloud

Anissa Pokorny-Yadav, Samantha Scibelli, Judit Ferrer Asensio et al. (+3 more)

Carbon-chain molecules serve as an important reservoir of reactive organic matter that will eventually be incorporated into protoplanetary disks, planets, and cometary material. Prestellar and starless cores are composed of cold (~ 10 K) and dense (~ 10$^5$ cm$^{-3}$) clumps of gas and dust within molecular clouds, and are nurseries for low-mass stars and planetary systems. Surveys of starless cores have focused on the study of complex organic molecules, COMs, whereas observations of carbon-chains in starless cores are limited. We analyze the carbon-chain inventories of 15 prestellar and starless cores in the Perseus Molecular Cloud. Using Yebes 40m single-dish observations, we detect CS, CCS, CCCS, HC$_3$N, DC$_3$N, and HC$_5$N in at least 10/15 cores and HC$_7$N in 4/15 cores. Our study also finds related isotopologues, where $^{13}$CS, C$^{34}$S, C$^{13}$CS, CC$^{34}$S, H$^{13}$CCCN, HC$^{13}$CCN, HCC$^{13}$CN, HC$^{13}$CCCCN, HCC$^{13}$CCCN, HCCC$^{13}$CCN, HCCCCC$^{15}$N, and DCCCCCN are detected. We report detection statistics, compare column density ratios with Taurus, Serpens, and protostar sources, examine DC$_3$N/HC$_3$N deuterium fractionation, and investigate the relative abundances and correlations between cyanopolyyne (HC$_n$N) and sulfur-bearing (C$_n$S) carbon-chains. The diverse suite of species detected reveals the richness of carbon-chain chemistry in Perseus and illustrates how local environmental conditions, such as density, temperature, and proximity to protostellar activity, shape each core's molecular inventory and relative evolutionary phase. Our findings provide a glimpse into the carbon-chain reservoir of starless and prestellar cores in Perseus, which may ultimately be inherited by emerging protoplanetary disks and later integrated into planetary systems and biologically relevant material.
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All authors Anissa Pokorny-Yadav, Samantha Scibelli, Judit Ferrer Asensio, Yancy Shirley, Andrés Megías, Izaskun Jiménez-Serra

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

MarsCast: Transfer Learning of AI Weather Foundation Models to Planetary Atmospheres

M.L. Carroll, J. Li, S.D. Guzewich et al. (+3 more)

We investigate the transferability of Earth weather foundation models to planetary atmospheres by adapting the GraphCast graph neural weather forecasting model to Mars. While GraphCast achieves state-of-the-art performance for terrestrial forecasting, its applicability to non-Earth environments remains unexplored. Using the Mars Climate Database (MCD), which provides global atmospheric fields across vertical altitude levels (similar to Earth pressure levels), we evaluate zero-shot and fine-tuned GraphCast predictions of Martian temperature and wind fields. Zero-shot forecasts produce a surprisingly accurate depiction of current conditions but fail to reproduce diurnal variability and rapidly decay toward climatological mean states. To address this limitation, we fine-tune GraphCast using MCD variables and top-of-atmosphere solar radiation forcing while holding humidity constant. Fine-tuning enables rapid learning of Martian thermal variability. Within as few as 10 training epochs, the model begins to capture the diurnal cycle and forecasts up to 10 days reproduce seasonal and vertical temperature structure. Prediction quality improves with training sample size and exhibits sensitivity to seasonal initialization. These results demonstrate that Earth-trained AI weather models can be adapted to simulate Martian atmospheric dynamics, providing a pathway toward rapid planetary weather prediction to support mission operations, dust storm risk mitigation, and future human exploration.
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All authors M.L. Carroll, J. Li, S.D. Guzewich, G.Villanueva, J.A. Caraballo-Vega, M.J. Frost

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Circular polarization as a probe of cloud properties and asymmetries in giant exoplanet atmospheres

M. B. Michaelis and S. Wolf

For planets in the Solar System, circular polarization measurements complement linear polarimetry by providing additional information on cloud particle properties. As the disk-integrated circular polarization is 0 for symmetric planets, observing intrinsic circular polarization of spatially unresolved exoplanets requires stable spatial asymmetries such as circumplanetary rings. We investigated the potential of circular polarization measurements at optical and near-infrared wavelengths to determine optical properties of cloud particles in the atmospheres of giant exoplanets and characterize asymmetries. For 20 selected cloud condensates spanning a wide range of refractive indices, we calculated optical properties using Mie scattering theory. The circular polarization of starlight scattered by cloudy exoplanets was calculated with Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations. To explain the connection between optical properties and planetary circular polarization, we derived an interpretative model of the first two scattering orders. Planetary hemispheres with atmospheres including cloud particles with a large imaginary part, $k$, of the refractive index show distinct circular polarization phase curves dominated by scattering first by gaseous molecules and then by cloud particles. The intrinsic degree of circular polarization, $P_\mathrm{c}$, is at most $3\cdot 10^{-4}$. When the cloud particles have a low $k$, they instead induce even smaller but more predictable circular polarization dominated by scattering solely by cloud particles. Circular polarization of starlight reflected by giant exoplanets is sensitive to cloud particle composition and large-scale asymmetries but remains a subtle signal. While promising for characterizing clouds under favorable conditions, practical detection requires technological advances in polarimetry and careful disentanglement from stellar background signals.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Spatial distribution of water ice in the protoplanetary silhouette disk d216-0939

J. S. Martin, S. Wolf, A. Potapov et al. (+4 more)

The composition of rocky planets depends on the dust in their natal protoplanetary disk (PPD), potentially containing water ice. Crystalline water ice was detected in the PPD d216-0939 in the Orion Nebular Cluster (ONC). We aim at constraining the spatial distribution and crystallization state of water ice in the d216-0939 disk using recent observations of the water ice absorption feature at a wavelength of $\sim 3\mathrm{\mu m}$ collected with JWST. We perform 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer (MCRT) simulations to constrain the free parameters of an accretion disk model by fitting the calculated spectrum in the wavelength range from $1.6 \text{ to } 24\mathrm{\mu m}$ to the spectral energy distribution (SED) observed with the JWST instruments NIRSpec and MIRI. Additionally, archival, spatially resolved HST observations were used to constrain the global spatial structure of the disk, as the parameter space is degenerate with respect to the fit to the SED. Successively, we fit the water ice absorption feature using polychromatic MCRT simulations with spectral importance sampling to produce synthetic observations at high spectral resolutions. By probing the upper and outer disk layers, we found that a PPD model with dust containing 5.4% crystallized water ice beyond the snowline fits the observations well, necessitating outward transport of material, since crystalline ice is unlikely to form in situ in the probed disk layers. In the spectral region of the water ice absorption feature, scattering and thermal dust emission both contribute significantly to the total flux.
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All authors J. S. Martin, S. Wolf, A. Potapov, H. Linz, Th. Henning, H. Terada, M. B. Michaelis

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Diffractive Sail H-Reversal Trajectory: Theoretical Feasibility, Design Strategies, and Applications

Jinkai Zhang, Shuyue Fu, Di Wu et al. (+2 more)

With the growing threat of near-Earth asteroid, planetary defense serves as a vital shield against catastrophic disasters. Kinetic impact utilizing an angular momentum reversal (H-reversal) trajectory of a solar sail is a highly advantageous defense approach. However, traditional reflective sails (RS) are constrained during these maneuvers by attitude-thrust coupling and a degradation of solar radiation pressure utilization at the high cone angles required for transverse acceleration. To enhance impact performance and simplify control, this paper proposes an H-reversal impact scheme utilizing a Sun-facing diffractive sail (SFDS) under a one-stage diffraction angle {\theta}d strategy and a two-stage {\theta}d strategy. The feasible parameter spaces for both strategies were mapped using the hodograph method. Tailored trajectory design methods were established for both strategies based on the feasibility analysis. Apophis impact scenario was considered, and the corresponding trajectories were constructed. Simulations demonstrate that the one-stage {\theta}d SFDS outperforms RS through a 21% increase in the impact velocity and a 35% decrease in the mission duration. Furthermore, the proposed two-stage {\theta}d strategy yields an additional 9km/s gain in impact velocity. By utilizing SFDS H-reversal trajectories, this research establishes an emergency planetary defense framework characterized by rapid response and high kinetic energy.
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All authors Jinkai Zhang, Shuyue Fu, Di Wu, Lin Cheng, Shengping Gong

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

A Formation-Stage Bottleneck for Exomoons around Close-in Rocky Planets

Rongxi Bi, Hongping Deng, Christian Reinhardt et al. (+2 more)

Massive moons around rocky exoplanets are expected outcomes of giant impacts, yet no exomoon has been securely confirmed. We address this problem using meshless finite-mass simulations of giant impacts between differentiated rocky planets that include stellar tidal and Coriolis forces in a local co-rotating frame for orbital periods of 1–300 days, and compare these simulations with otherwise identical collisions in isolation. We find that stellar perturbations impose a severe formation-stage bottleneck on moon-forming disks. Ultra-short-period impacts leave essentially no surviving circumplanetary disk, whereas 10-day systems retain only strongly depleted, radially truncated, and dynamically compact disks. High impact velocities, expected for close-in planets, are devastating for disk generation, while retrograde impacts can slightly compensate for disk mass depletion. These results show that stellar perturbations can suppress exomoon formation around close-in rocky planets, reshaping expectations for the demographics of exomoons.
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All authors Rongxi Bi, Hongping Deng, Christian Reinhardt, Shangfei Liu, Yun Liu

Tuesday 4 August

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

First multi-opposition recoveries of large-orbit LSST TNOs

Chantal Hemmann, Brett Gladman, Justine Obidowski et al. (+2 more)

We report 2026 CFHT second-opposition recovery observations of three large-orbit Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) discovered by the Vera C. Rubin Telescope's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) during preliminary observations in 2025. Due to their potential scientific interest, we selected three TNOs whose nominal semimajor axis could be larger than 100~au according to their short-arc ($\leq0.2$-yr) LSST observations. These three targets (2025 LS2, 2025 ME278, 2025 MX348) had discovery opposition orbits of varying observation quality (in terms of the duration and distribution of observations). In two cases, the 2026 CFHT recoveries showed that the semimajor axis dropped by a factor of $\simeq$3-10, and that the object appears to be a (common) plutino in the 3:2 mean-motion resonance with Neptune. We discuss how and why the estimated orbital elements evolved, and re-caution the community to be skeptical of unusual TNO orbits until they have multi-opposition recoveries.
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All authors Chantal Hemmann, Brett Gladman, Justine Obidowski, Jean-Marc Petit, JJ Kavelaars

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Callisto from JWST: CO2-rich terrain on the leading hemisphere and global patterns of H2O ice

Maria Camarca, Katherine de Kleer, Richard J. Cartwright et al. (+5 more)

We present maps of H2O, CO2, and a 4.57 um spectral feature across Callisto's surface observed using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). H2O ice was mapped by measuring band parameters of the 3.1 um Fresnel peak across the leading and trailing hemispheres under a simplified assumption of crystalline ice. We update the CO2 solid-phase, CO2 gas, and 4.57 um feature band depth maps originally presented in Cartwright et al. (2024) with a new JWST observation of Callisto centered on Valhalla, the largest multi-ring impact basin in the solar system. Our H2O ice map shows that the Fresnel peak on the trailing hemisphere exhibits a bullseye pattern that is weaker at low latitudes, and on the leading hemisphere its strength is associated with impacts. This dichotomy is possibly related to the Jovian magnetospheric plasma impinging on the trailing hemisphere. Our solid-phase CO2 map reveals an enhancement in the vicinity of the Lofn/Heimdall impact craters, a region that may be the largest reservoir of non-radiolytic CO2 on Callisto's surface. The gas-phase CO2 exhibits a patchy spatial distribution and does not clearly correlate with solid CO2.
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All authors Maria Camarca, Katherine de Kleer, Richard J. Cartwright, Geronimo L. Villanueva, Bryan J. Holler, Zachariah Milby, Kevin P. Hand, Lorenz Roth

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Searching for Habitable Exoplanets with Relative Astrometry (SHERA). I. The Case for Searching for Planets in Binary Star Systems

Jessie L. Christiansen, Eric E. Mamajek, Gautam Vasisht et al. (+14 more)

Discovering Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars was identified as a priority science goal of the Astronomy 2020 Decadal Survey. It is confounded by many factors, one of which is the high multiplicity of Sun-like stars in the local neighborhood - half of nearby Sun-like stars are in binary or higher-order stellar systems, which are less amenable to the detection of small planets with almost all of the currently productive exoplanet detection techniques. Here we describe the SHERA (Searching for Habitable Exoplanets with Relative Astrometry) NASA Small Explorer mission concept. SHERA utilizes diffractive-pupil technology on a small, simple optical space telescope to achieve microarcsecond precision relative astrometry on 14 Sun-like stars in seven nearby multi-star systems, combining the pupil and stellar binarity to provide a precise reference in the image plane. With this precision, SHERA would enable: (i) a search for rocky planets in the habitable zones of the closest Sun-like stars; (ii) an investigation of the impact of binary star formation on small, widely separated planets; and (iii) the performance of crucial precursor observations on a number of high-priority targets of NASA's future missions to characterize Earth-like planets, such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory. When combined with radial velocity measurements, SHERA relative astrometry will also enable exploration of the three-dimensional orbital structure of planets in binary systems.
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All authors Jessie L. Christiansen, Eric E. Mamajek, Gautam Vasisht, Catherine A. Clark, William Roberson, Eric L. Nielsen, Kaitlin M. Kratter, Juliette Becker, Eduardo Bendek, Ruslan Belikov, Alex Davis, Louis Desdoigts, Alyssa Jankowski, Michael R. Meyer, Benjamin J. S. Pope, Armen Tokadjian, Peter Tuthill

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Generating eccentricity from envelope stripping in the Radius Valley

Brad M. S. Hansen

We demonstrate that the stripping of planetary envelopes can result in the excitation of planetary orbital eccentricity if the stripped gas remains in the system long enough to interact gravitationally and absorb angular momentum from the planetary orbit. We estimate that envelope mass fractions of a few percent can excite eccentricities of order 0.1 for single planets. This process can potentially explain the elevated eccentricities observed for planets whose radii lie in, or near, the radius valley. In multiple planet systems, the stripped gas can mediate angular momentum exchange between neighbouring planets, causing the separation to expand. Using data from the Kepler satellite, we find that planet pairs, whose members straddle the radius valley, do appear to be systematically wider than those in which both members are sub-Neptunes. These results support the idea that planets in, or just below, the radius valley are the stripped cores of planets that have lost mass, because the elevated eccentricities represent evidence that the gas remained in the system long enough to absorb additional angular momentum from the planet.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Joint dynamical-geophysical evidence for a limit cycle in the Galilean moons

Amirhossein Bagheri, Steven Vance, Jim Fuller et al. (+5 more)

Io, Europa, and Ganymede orbit in the Laplace mean-motion resonance, where their orbital and thermochemical evolution are strongly coupled [1-5]. Forced eccentricities sustain tidal dissipation, powering Io's volcanism and maintaining Europa's subsurface ocean [6-8]. Tidal heating depends on the moons' eccentricities, semimajor axes, and interior properties. Orbital evolution depends on how satellite dissipation affects the resonant dynamics [4, 8]. This coupled evolution has not been treated in a self-consistent framework constrained by modern observations. Here, we combine modern astrometric and geophysical measurements of migration rates, surface heat fluxes, tidal response, and moment of inertia [9-13] with an orbital-thermochemical evolution model to constrain the long-term evolution and present state of the moons. We show that the joint observations select an ongoing late-time limit cycle, likely established $\sim$0.8-2.0 Gyr ago through feedback between thermal and orbital evolution. The present-day state recurs within this oscillatory branch, whose cycles repeat every $\sim$95-150 Myr. Io presently experiences high dissipation and migrates inward, whereas Europa and Ganymede continue to migrate outward. Europa is predicted to undergo episodes of inward migration during the cycle. During the cycles, Io's mean melt fraction varies substantially ($\sim$10-30%), while Europa's ice-shell thickness varies by $\sim$3-15 km. The predicted structures of Europa and Io will be assessed by future missions including Europa Clipper, JUICE, and IVO [14-17].
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All authors Amirhossein Bagheri, Steven Vance, Jim Fuller, Brianna Fernandez, Mohit Melwani-Daswani, Hauke Hussmann, Gregor Steinbruegge, Francis Nimmo

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

JWST Transmission Spectroscopy of TOI-3235 b: Challenges in Constraining Giant Planet Atmospheres Around M Dwarfs Amid Stellar Contamination

Zoe Ko, Néstor Espinoza, Andrés Jordán et al. (+7 more)

Giant planets orbiting low-mass M dwarfs challenge current planet formation theories, which predict that such planets are unlikely to form. Characterizing their atmospheres can provide key insight into their origins, but analysis is complicated by stellar contamination in transmission spectra. We present a JWST/NIRSpec PRISM transmission spectrum of TOI-3235 b, a 604 K, 0.665 Jupiter-mass giant planet orbiting a 0.39 Solar-mass M dwarf. We apply a hierarchical retrieval framework incorporating an atmospheric model, a parametric stellar contamination model, and a Gaussian process (GP) to capture residual structure not explained by these deterministic components. We find that the inferred atmospheric properties are model-dependent: retrievals that treat stellar contamination deterministically yield a constrained CH4 abundance corresponding to a sub-solar metallicity that would challenge standard expectations from both core accretion and gravitational instability, along with potentially elevated CO and CO2 abundances that would require chemical disequilibrium. However, residual wavelength-correlated structure suggests the deterministic model is incomplete. Including a GP to marginalize over this structure broadens the atmospheric posterior distributions, preventing robust constraints on the atmospheric composition and highlighting the challenge of characterizing giant planet atmospheres around M dwarfs. We demonstrate that an eclipse observation could clarify these model-dependent ambiguities: detected emission features would constrain the planet's metallicity and test formation scenarios, while a featureless spectrum would confirm stellar contamination dominates the transmission spectrum, providing an empirical M dwarf contamination spectrum.
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All authors Zoe Ko, Néstor Espinoza, Andrés Jordán, Daniel Bayliss, Edward M. Bryant, Martin Schlecker, Melissa J. Hobson, Rafael Brahm, Remo Burn, Thomas Henning

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

A new window in time: a mid-infrared slit spectroscopy mode for precision time-series astronomy with JWST/MIRI

Achrene Dyrek, Taylor J. Bell, Pierre-Olivier Lagage et al. (+7 more)

The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) provides Low Resolution Spectroscopy (LRS) over 5-12 um at a resolving power of R ~ 100. To date, all MIRI LRS time-series observations (TSOs) have been carried out in slitless mode, since long-duration pointing stability within the narrow 4.7” x 0.51” slit could not previously be guaranteed, leading to the possibility of degraded TSOs due to jitter. Commissioning activities established the telescope jitter to be less than 1 milliarcsecond (mas), four times less than the initial requirement. It was, therefore, worth assessing the suitability of the MIRI LRS slit as a TSO mode for precision time-domain science; this is the aim of the Cycle 3 program (PID 6219, PI: A. Dyrek). We observed a transit of the exoplanet HAT-P-12b over ~10 hours and compared the results to archival slitless observations of the same target (PID 1281, PI: P.-O. Lagage). Two independent data reductions of the transit spectra of both slit and slitless configurations are consistent within 1 sigma, validating the feasibility of the new mode. A joint fit of the slit and slitless observations confirms the presence of a spectral feature near 7.5 um. Using measured JWST pointing variations, we estimated slit-loss variations to be smaller than 40 ppm at 10 um. The drawback of the slitless mode is a higher background. Compellingly, the slit background is ~ 38 times lower on average than in slitless mode, improving sensitivity for faint targets (Jmag ~ 13-15). We also identified time-correlated noise unique to the slit dataset at long wavelengths, which requires further investigation. This new capability of TSOs in slit mode, which will be supported in Cycle 7 (in 2028), opens a new avenue for precision time-series astronomy for faint targets with JWST/MIRI.
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All authors Achrene Dyrek, Taylor J. Bell, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Sarah Kendrew, Gareb Fernandez-Rodriguez, Thomas Greene, Giuseppe Morello, Michiel Min, Mael Voyer, Hannu Parviainen

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Cross-listed from astro-ph.IM

Breaking the brightness barrier: JWST/NIRCam DHS spectroscopy for high-precision time-series observations

Achrene Dyrek, John Stansberry, Louis E. Bergeron et al. (+12 more)

Many of the most scientifically compelling exoplanets orbit bright nearby stars that exceed the brightness limits of existing JWST spectroscopic observing modes. To address this limitation, a new NIRCam Short Wavelength Grism Time-Series mode has been developed by combining the Dispersed Hartmann Sensor (DHS) with a new on-board multistripe detector readout capability. The DHS disperses the incoming light through multiple pupil sub-apertures, reducing the incident flux and providing slitless spectroscopy between approximately 1.0 and 2.3 um. The multistripe readout mode further increases the accessible brightness range (K ~ 2.5 - 5.7 mag, depending on the spectral type of the object), with the previous limit being K ~ 5.7 mag at 1.5 um, by reading only the detector regions containing the DHS spectra, reducing the detector frame time with the standard RAPID readout mode from 10.74 s to 1.36 s over even less when using smaller substripe sizes. Together with the simultaneous long-wavelength grism observations, the new mode provides spectroscopic continuous coverage from approximately 1.0 to 5.0 um for targets as bright as K ~ 2.5 mag. We present the first results of on-orbit commissioning of this new observing mode with the final stage consisting of observations of a full transit of the exoplanet WASP-18b, which allowed us to demonstrate the feasibility of using NIRCam DHS for high-precision time-series observations. The commissioning presented in this paper marks the first deployment of the multistripe detector readout on JWST. Beyond NIRCam DHS, this new capability will be extended to other spectroscopic modes, including NIRISS SOSS and NIRSpec PRISM. Bright nearby stars host many of the highest-priority targets for exoplanet atmospheric characterization, making multistripe an important new capability for maximizing the scientific return of JWST.
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All authors Achrene Dyrek, John Stansberry, Louis E. Bergeron, Everett Schlawin, Nestor Espinoza, Brian Brooks, Mario Gennaro, Martha L. Boyer, Russell Ryan, Bryan Hilbert, Munazza K. Alam, Aarynn L. Carter, Norbert Pirzkal, Julien H. Girard, Anton M. Koekemoer

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Self-consistent 1D modelling of Jupiter's upper atmosphere as an exoplanet analogue

Nils-Martin Robeling, Sudeshna Boro Saikia, Gwenaëlle Van Looveren et al. (+5 more)

Jupiter's upper atmosphere provides a real-world laboratory for validating first-principles models of giant gaseous exoplanets and for constraining the key physical processes that govern them. We extended the 1D first-principles thermo-chemical planetary upper atmosphere model Kompot to simulate hydrogen-rich atmospheres of giant exoplanets and benchmarked it against the archetype giant planet Jupiter. We modelled a longitudinal and latitudinal average thermal and chemical profile of Jupiter's upper atmosphere by solving the equations of energy balance, photochemical kinetics, hydrodynamics, and vertical transport in a 1D radial atmospheric grid. The thermal properties of the upper atmosphere were determined by a balance between heating from solar X-ray and ultraviolet (XUV), and infrared (IR) radiation, thermal conduction, Joule heating, and radiative cooling due to H3+ and CH4. The model results were compared with Jupiter observations from Galileo, JUNO, and other instruments. The simulation results were also used as input in the radiative transfer module of the TauREx code to simulate Jupiter's infrared transmission spectrum. Our model reproduces Jupiter's observed upper-atmospheric thermal structure and observed CH4 volume mixing ratios. The chemical abundances of other gases also exhibit strong agreement with observations and existing photochemical models. Heating and cooling results show that Joule heating is the dominant heating source throughout most of the upper atmosphere. The transmission spectrum indicates the rich presence of CH4 in the near- and mid-IR wavelength ranges. Our physically consistent model framework for Jupiter's upper atmosphere provides a validated baseline for future self-consistent simulations of the thermal and chemical structure of a diverse population of hydrogen-rich exoplanet atmospheres.
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All authors Nils-Martin Robeling, Sudeshna Boro Saikia, Gwenaëlle Van Looveren, Ivan Stanković, Simon Schleich, Colin P. Johnstone, Manuel Güdel, Kristina Kislyakova

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Cross-listed from physics.pop-ph

The Astronomy of Halakhic Nightfall: Calculating Ts'eit HaKokhavim and Motsa'ei Shabbat

Aster G. Taylor

In Jewish tradition, the boundary between days is not midnight, but nightfall. Nightfall is when one must pray ma'ariv, count the omer, and may engage in activity after Shabbat. While there are slightly different definitions of nightfall for Shabbat restrictions (Motsa'ei Shabbat) versus other purposes (Ts'eit HaKokhavim), most minhagim define nightfall to be when three stars of some specified size and proximity are visible in the sky. This definition presents some difficulty. Not only are these conditions difficult to define, they are further complicated by weather, cloud cover, and light pollution. Observant Jews therefore usually approximate these times by defining nightfall to be when the sun has reached a certain distance below the horizon. Although these approximations have been effective, modern astronomy enables us to calculate precisely when these conditions are met. This work applies these techniques to calculate the time of Ts'eit HaKokhavim and Motsa'ei Shabbat evaluates the accuracy of the approximations, and explores the effects of light pollution on these times. While Ts'eit HaKokhavim is reasonably well-approximated by standard methods, the conditions for Motsa'ei Shabbat generally occur after the time predicted by the approximations. Light pollution does not shift Ts'eit HaKokhavim by more than a minute but significantly changes Motsa'ei Shabbat. In fact, light pollution causes the conditions of Motsa'ei Shabbat to never be met on at least some nights in every population center. Finally, I provide a tool (halakhic-nightfall.streamlit.app) for calculating Ts'eit HaKokhavim and Motsa'ei Shabbat at an arbitrary time and location on Earth.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Cross-listed from astro-ph.IM

Charged Clouds of Ionized Gas Emerge from Tribocharging Grains

Patrick Hock, Jens Teiser and Gerhard Wurm

If two solid particles collide, charge is exchanged. However, this transfer is not restricted to the surface of the particle. Ions are also dispersed into the environment. They form a charge cloud around the particle. In this way, all particle-laden atmospheres from volcanic plumes on Earth over exoplanet atmospheres to protoplanetary disks might be subject to gas-phase ionization by means of particle collisions. In laboratory experiments, we quantify the amount of ions produced in a collision of glass beads with 2.8 mm diameter. We extract the ions by applying an external electrostatic field and measuring the generated current. The ions are detected at all the pressures studied, i.e. from 0.3 mbar to 100 mbar. However, the ionization rate peaks at about 1 mbar. Scaled to individual bouncing collisions, charge as high as 1 pC of each polarity was detected. This implies collisions of grains can be a significant source of ions in various atmospheres.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Helium-poor winds do not require helium-poor planets

Leonardos Gkouvelis and Francisco J. Pozuelos

Observations of the metastable He,i,10830,Å\ triplet have revealed escaping exoplanet atmospheres whose inferred helium abundances range from nearly nebular compositions to strongly helium-depleted winds. Such depletion is commonly interpreted as evidence for atmospheric evolution, preferential escape, or departures from primordial composition. We present a closed-form analytic transport-retention theory for the atmospheric transition region between the homopause and the base of the planetary wind. The theory quantifies the competition between upward transport and molecular separation, demonstrating that transport physics alone can substantially deplete the helium abundance supplied to the escaping flow. Our solution yields a retention factor, $\chi_{\rm He}$, that measures the fraction of helium supplied to the base of the hydrodynamic wind relative to the deep atmospheric abundance. Combining the analytic framework with numerical forward models of the He,i,10830,Å\ absorption and a sample of twelve helium-observed sub-Neptunes and mini-Neptunes, we find that observed systems span the full range of predicted retention states, from nearly complete retention to strong helium depletion. These forward models use the helium abundance supplied by the analytic framework as the lower-boundary condition to predict the corresponding He,i,10830,Å\ absorption. We further show that increasing helium retention systematically strengthens the expected absorption signal by increasing the helium reservoir available to the upper atmosphere. These results suggest that helium depletion does not necessarily imply intrinsically helium-poor atmospheres or evolutionary transitions toward secondary compositions, but may instead be a natural consequence of transport physics in escaping atmospheres.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

A broad exploration of climate and observability of close-in rocky exoplanets: applications to Ross 128 b

Mathilde Houelle, Emeline Bolmont, Christophe Lovis et al. (+4 more)

VLT/RISTRETTO, ELT/ANDES and ELT/PCS will soon enable atmospheric characterization of non-transiting, small rocky exoplanets orbiting closer than the inner edge of the Habitable Zone around M dwarfs, combining high-contrast imaging with high-resolution spectroscopy in reflected light. A key parameter for reflected-light observability is wavelength-dependent reflectivity, shaped by climate, surface and atmospheric properties. This work refines spectral reflectivity predictions for this population. Using Ross 128 b as a prototype, we provide physically consistent geometric albedo estimates within the RISTRETTO and ANDES spectral ranges across diverse atmospheric scenarios. We run 3D global climate model simulations of Ross 128 b for varying atmospheric compositions, surface pressures, water inventories and spin-orbit resonances to explore its possible climate regimes. We then compute synthetic reflectance spectra with Pytmosph3R to assess spectral signatures per scenario and discuss detectability and instrument capacity for constraining climate. Results show hazeless rocky planets receiving irradiation similar to Ross 128 b exhibit low reflectivity, with geometric albedos of 0.07-0.2 in the RISTRETTO bandpass and 0-0.14 in the ANDES bandpass across all scenarios. This low reflectivity can stem from the lack of clouds or surface ice deposits on the dayside, or from strong atmospheric absorption due to high water vapor concentrations, depending on the parameter configurations. These features are characteristic of the climate moist bistability found in close-in, low-water-reservoir planets in previous studies. Our results suggest arbitrary albedo assumptions, such as the common 0.3 Earth-like value, can overestimate reflectivity for this population, highlighting the need for accurate climate models to improve reflectivity predictions and optimize preparation for next-generation spectrographs.
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All authors Mathilde Houelle, Emeline Bolmont, Christophe Lovis, Martin Turbet, Guillaume Chaverot, Alexandre Mechineau, Jérémy Leconte

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Formation of nitriles and isonitriles by the heavy-ion irradiation of propionitrile in N2-rich astrophysical ices

Ana L.F. de Barros, David Dubois, Sreeja Raghunandanan et al. (+4 more)

Context. Nitriles are key nitrogen-bearing organic molecules in dense clouds, star-forming regions, and nitrogen-rich icy environments. Understanding their stability and chemical evolution under energetic processing is essential for understanding the formation of complex organic species in astrophysical ices. Aims. We investigate the radiolytic processing of propionitrile (CH3CH2CN, hereafter referred to as PCN) in a nitrogen-rich ice matrix and evaluate the formation of nitriles, isonitriles, hydrocarbons, and other nitrogen-bearing products induced by swift heavy ions. Methods. A PCN:N2 ice mixture with an approximate molecular ratio of 1:10 was deposited at 10 K and irradiated with 40 MeV 40Ar9+ ions up to a fluence of 1 x 1013 ions cm-2. The chemical evolution was monitored in situ by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Destruction and formation cross sections, as well as radiation chemical yields, were derived from the fluence dependence of selected infrared bands. Results. Ion irradiation efficiently destroys PCN and produces a rich inventory of daughter species. The products include: nitriles and isonitriles such as HCN, HCNN, HC3N, CH3CN, CH3C3N, CH3CHCNH, CH2CHCN, NCCN/C2N2, CN, and C2N; nitrogen-bearing species such as CH2NH, CH3NH2, CH3N3, and N3- ; and hydrocarbons, including CH4, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, and C4H4. The derived cross sections indicate that CN-bearing fragments and hydrocarbons are among the most efficiently formed products, demonstrating that the CN group is efficiently preserved and that extensive carbon-chain reorganization also occurs. Conclusions. The results demonstrate that the energetic processing of PCN in N2-rich ices provides an efficient pathway to molecular complexity under conditions relevant to dense interstellar clouds, protostellar environments, and nitrogen-rich outer Solar System surfaces.
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All authors Ana L.F. de Barros, David Dubois, Sreeja Raghunandanan, Thibault Nguyen Trung, Tarek Sbera, Hermann Rothard, Alicja Domaracka

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Cross-listed from physics.space-ph

Simultaneous Mars-orbit observations reveal Kelvin-Helmholtz instability-driven bulk atmospheric ion escape

Chi Zhang, Chuanfei Dong, Gangkai Poh et al. (+11 more)

Atmospheric ion escape driven by the solar wind is a key process controlling the long-term loss of the Martian atmosphere. Localized plasma clouds can carry substantial fluxes of planetary ions away from Mars, representing episodes of bulk escape. However, their origin has remained unclear due to the absence of simultaneous upstream measurements. Using joint observations from the MAVEN and Tianwen-1 missions, which provide real-time upstream monitoring, we present direct evidence that these plasma clouds are nonlinear wave packets generated by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). The spatial scale of KH waves is constrained for the first time via two-point measurements. Ion fluxes within plasma clouds are one to two orders of magnitude higher than those in typical steady-state escape channels. Our results indicate that KHI is an important process for solar wind coupling to planetary upper atmospheres and plays a crucial role in shaping atmospheric ion escape for unmagnetized planets.
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All authors Chi Zhang, Chuanfei Dong, Gangkai Poh, Jasper Halekas, Xuanye Ma, Ruhunusiri Suranga, Kathleen G. Hanley, Han-Wen Shen, Hongyang Zhou, Xinmin Li, Liang Wang, Jiawei Gao, Shannon Curry, Christian Mazelle

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

A study on the contribution of the interplanetary medium in radio occultation experiments

Keshav Aggarwal, R. K. Choudhary, Abhirup Datta et al. (+4 more)

Irregularities in electron density within the interplanetary medium (IPM) can cause fluctuations in the Doppler frequency of spacecraft radio signals. The amplitude of these fluctuations depends on factors such as the carrier frequency, propagation geometry, and link configuration. However, quantitative characterization of these effects across different frequencies in various occultation experiments is currently limited. We analyze five complementary datasets: two-way S-band observations from Chandrayaan-3 outside the lunar ionosphere, two-way S-band data from Chandrayaan-2 during lunar occultation, one-way S/X band measurements from the Venus Express Radio Science (VeRa)/Akatsuki Radio Science (Akatsuki) under IPM-only conditions, and one-way X-band Akatsuki data during solar occultation. The Chandrayaan-3 and Akatsuki IPM observations isolate IPM effects by excluding contributions from planetary atmospheres, the lunar ionosphere, and, except during solar occultation, the solar corona. Chandrayaan-3 data sample dynamically evolving Earth-Moon geometries and exhibit weak, mHz-level Doppler fluctuations, while Chandrayaan-2 observations provide near-lunar plasma benchmarks with higher amplitudes, during quiet time solar and geomagnetic conditions. Akatsuki and VeRa's IPM-only measurements capture long-path interplanetary effects, whereas Akatsuki solar occultation data reveal strong coronal signatures. Power spectral density analysis indicates Kolmogorov-like turbulence for lunar occultation and solar occultation cases, while IPM-only spectra show low-amplitude fluctuations. These results quantify the IPM contribution to Doppler noise, demonstrate the enhanced plasma sensitivity of two-way coherent links, and provide constraints relevant to turbulence modelling, precision spacecraft tracking, and the interpretation of radio occultation experiments.
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All authors Keshav Aggarwal, R. K. Choudhary, Abhirup Datta, Soumyaneal Banerjee, R. Manikantan, Anshuman Sharma, Takeshi Imamura

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Phase-curve approach to study atmospheric flows in hot Jupiters

D. Shulyak, W. Dietrich, V. Parmentier et al. (+5 more)

Short-orbit gaseous exoplanets are the best targets to study atmospheric dynamics. A time series of emission observations collected at various photometric filters (phase curves) provides insights into atmospheric flows. Modern observations reveal a wide variety of phase curves, but their utility for probing atmospheric circulation as a function of altitude has not yet been explored in detail. We aim to understand the properties of phase curves and their connection to underlying atmospheric flows, as well as to define a set of multiwavelength observations that could be used to resolve these flows as a function of altitude. We utilized a subset of the solar metallicity models from the grid of ADAM/GCM and state-of-the-art radiative transfer codes to predict phase curves. We made predictions for a variety of photometric filters on board the Spitzer, TESS, CHEOPS, HST, and JWST missions, and explored the sensitivity of each filter to flows at various atmospheric depths. Our calculations show that the main parameter that regulates the phase-curve offsets in our models is the atmospheric temperature, although high metallicity can also have strong impact by reducing phase-curve offsets. This is not fully supported by available observations, which possibly indicates a missing physical process in the models. The predicted contribution functions suggest that the best combination of photometric filters to study atmospheric flows is NIRCam filters because they are sensitive to a wide range of pressures between 10 bar and 1e-4 bar depending on planet temperature, respectively. High-resolution spectroscopy is predicted to detect differential Doppler shifts of 1-4 km/s between molecular bands formed at different altitudes, providing an independent probe of vertical circulations.
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All authors D. Shulyak, W. Dietrich, V. Parmentier, D. Cont, L.-M. Lara, L. Gkouvelis, M. R. Swain, M. Rengel

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Long-lived thermal dynamo generation on differentiated, impact-disrupted planetesimals

Hannah R. Sanderson, James F. J. Bryson and Claire I. O. Nichols

Meteorites containing both metal and silicates indicate that some planetesimals were partially differentiated and/or processes mixed planetesimal cores and mantles post-differentiation. Time-resolved paleomagnetic records in these meteorite groups can shed light on the differentiation and mixing histories of such bodies. Previous studies measured paleomagnetic remanences in two such meteorite groups, the IIE irons and the Main Group pallasites, and used thermal evolution and dynamo generation modelling to recover parent body properties. However, these studies assumed that these meteorites only recorded magnetic fields generated by core solidification; an assumption recently shown to be invalid. We use a refined planetesimal thermal evolution and dynamo generation model that considers thermal and compositional drivers of dynamo generation simultaneously to re-evaluate the parent body properties of the IIE irons and Main Group pallasites and constrain the formation mechanisms of these meteorites. We find that none of the remanences require core solidification, but later formed remanences are more likely to record dynamos driven by core solidification. The Main Group pallasites and IIE iron parent bodies likely had radii of $\sim$400km with core radius fractions of $\sim$0.5 and $\sim$0.7, respectively. Impacts shaped both parent bodies: the Main Group pallasites formed too far from the core-mantle-boundary to result from ferromagmatism and instead formed by impacts, and the IIE iron's core radius fraction suggests the parent body experienced mantle-stripping collisions. Overall, combining meteorite paleomagnetism with thermal evolution and dynamo generation models provides insights into the long-term evolution of differentiated planetesimals, their interior structures, and metal-silicate mixing on these bodies.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

HIP 61637 b: a TESS Brown Dwarf in a Near-circular Orbit around a Massive A-type Star

Nino Ephremidze, David W. Latham, Perry Berlind et al. (+8 more)

We present the characterization of HIP 61637 b (TOI-5401 b), a brown dwarf discovered by TESS to transit an A-type star. HIP 61637 is the most massive and the brightest star known to host a transiting brown dwarf to date. The companion lies in the middle of the "brown dwarf desert". We perform a joint analysis of light curves from NASA's TESS mission and our high-resolution spectroscopy from the Tillinghast Reflector Echelle Spectrograph. We determine that HIP 61637 b has a radius of $R_{BD} = 1.149^{+0.049}_{-0.038}$ $R_J$, a mass of $M_{BD} = 47.8^{+1.5}_{-1.4}$ $M_J$, and transits its host star every $6.829104 \pm 0.000011$ days in a near-circular orbit ($e = 0.054 \pm 0.013$). The host star has a mass of $2.86\pm 0.12\,M_\odot$, a radius of $4.33 \pm 0.17\, R_\odot$, and an effective temperature of $T_{\text{eff}} = 9180^{+240}_{-230}$ K. We find that the host is nearing the end of its time on the main sequence and has begun to evolve, allowing for a precise age estimation of $396 \pm 46$ Myr for the system using stellar evolution models. This adds an important data point to the handful of well-characterized transiting brown dwarfs with reliable age estimates, allowing us to test the latest substellar evolution models. Theory of tidal evolution predicts that tidal dissipation mechanisms have circularized the orbit, consistent with the observed near-zero eccentricity.
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All authors Nino Ephremidze, David W. Latham, Perry Berlind, Allyson Bieryla, Michael L. Calkins, Gilbert A. Esquerdo, Samuel N. Quinn, Joseph E. Rodriguez, Noah Vowell, Jack Schulte, Hugh P. Osborn

Monday 3 August

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Kick Velocities and Mass Function of Free-Floating Planets from Dynamical Ejection in Hierarchical Three-Body Systems

Hugh Kramer and Stefano Profumo

Free-floating planets (FFPs), also known as rogue planets, are sub-stellar objects that travel through the Galaxy unbound to any host star. Their velocity distribution carries information about the dynamical channel that released them from their birth systems, while their mass distribution encodes the underlying abundance of planets available for ejection. We present a suite of direct $N$-body simulations of hierarchical three-body systems consisting of a Solar-mass host star, a massive giant perturber, and a lighter planet treated in the restricted three-body regime. We vary the mass of the ejected planet, the mass of the giant perturber, the light planet's semi-major axis, and the eccentricities of both planets, measuring the asymptotic ejection velocity $v_\infty$ and the finite-radius ejection speed $v_{\rm kick}$ at the first accepted ejection output. The ejected body's mass has little effect on the outcome over four orders of magnitude, confirming the test-particle limit. By contrast, the giant-planet mass sets the ejection scale and time, following the secular scaling $t_{\rm ejec}\propto M_J^{-1}$. The eccentricities mainly affect the high-velocity tail rather than the median: a higher light-planet eccentricity extends the kick ceiling to $\sim23$ km/s, while a highly eccentric giant can yield rare kicks near $80$ km/s via pericentre-enhanced slingshot encounters. We interpret these trends with a semi-analytic framework based on Hill-scale scattering, the Tisserand parameter, and an eccentricity-dependent upper envelope for slingshot energy exchange, and discuss how the ejection velocities map onto the Galactic FFP velocity dispersion and how the mass function sets the microlensing timescale distribution relevant for Roman and Euclid.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Rings in the Sky: Orbital Data Centres and Potential Impacts to Astronomy and the Sky

Aaron C. Boley, Samantha M. Lawler and Hanno Rein

Megaconstellations of orbital data centres (ODCs) have the potential to fundamentally change the sky without a concerted mitigation effort. Potential changes include producing large coherent structures that would be visible during twilight and some portions of the night, as well as produce persistent infrared and radio source regions. We investigate the potential sky impacts of three ODC designs, as proposed by three companies. While more companies have proposed to launch megaconstellations of ODCs, other potential operators are expected to use the same design principles as presented here. These systems would produce large ring structures with each ring passing through the sky twice a day. The largest impacts are expected to occur during winter, where ring structures could be seen sweeping through otherwise dark skies. The confinement of the rings' orbital nodes will play a large role in determining whether the rings will be dense arcs in the sky or will produce sky-wide interference. The rings will persist throughout the day in polar regions, with the potential to interfere with polar science initiatives. Such structures will further have societal implications for high-latitude communities. We use simplified brightness models, which compare well with more detailed calculations, to show that brightness mitigation and/or hard limits on satellite numbers will be essential for preventing a future that has more visible satellites in the sky than visible stars during certain times of night.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Orbital-Period Determination As an Indispensable Tool to Study the Pedigree of a Sungrazing Comet

Zdenek Sekanina

Among some 4500 Kreutz sungrazers known, the orbital period has been established to better than about +/-20 years only for C/1882 R1, C/1963 R1, C/1965 S1, C/2011 W3, and C/2026 A1. I describe solutions to a range of intriguing problems involving the orbital-period determination. A helpful, but computer-intensive routine is a detailed investigation of derived orbital periods as a function of the last observation used, which allows one to filter out effects of activity (the case of C/2026 A1) or nuclear fragmentation (the case of C/1965 S1) and thereby reliably evaluate the time of the previous perihelion, a cornerstone in the quest for a sungrazer's pedigree. Experience shows that only very massive objects, such as the original nucleus of C/1882 R1 or its main fragment B are immune to effects of this kind. Different problems are presented by a sungrazer whose nucleus falls apart shortly after perihelion (the case of C/2011 W3) or by one observed only after perihelion (the case of C/1963 R1). The documented high sensitivity of the derived orbital period to minor perturbations of a sungrazing comet's motion is exploited to advantage when the standard approach does not work or yields inconclusive results.
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Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Rotation, spectral type, and albedo of the potentially hazardous asteroid (153814) 2001 WN$_{\text 5}$ Prior to the 2028 June close approach

Jin Beniyama, Alexey V. Sergeyev, Konstantinos Odysseas Xenos et al. (+6 more)

The potentially hazardous asteroid (153814) 2001 WN$_5$ will pass inside the lunar distance on June 26, 2028, offering a rare opportunity to characterize a kilometer-scale near-Earth asteroid at high angular resolution. We aim to constrain the rotation state, shape, visible colors, geometric albedo, and taxonomy of 2001 WN$_5$ before its 2028 close approach. We combined new photometry from the 1.54 m Danish Telescope (DK154) with archival and survey observations from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), Dark Energy Camera (DECam), Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). These data were used to refine the rotation period, investigate the spin-shape solution space, derive visible colors, and estimate the geometric albedo from phase curve slopes. The available lightcurves do not uniquely constrain the sidereal rotation period, but the preferred pole solutions lie in the southern hemisphere in ecliptic coordinates. Visible colors from multiple independent datasets are consistent with the C-complex, while the TESS phase curve slopes give $p_{\rm V} = 0.13\pm0.04$, consistent with previous thermal-infrared albedo estimates. Combining the visible colors, albedo, and published near-infrared spectra, we classify 2001 WN$_5$ as most likely a B-type asteroid. The effective diameter is estimated to be $D = 0.81 \pm 0.13$ km using the $H$-$G$ model, while the linear model yields a slightly smaller value of $0.74 \pm 0.11$ km. During the 2028 encounter, 2001 WN$_5$ should reach an apparent diameter of about 0.5~arcsec, making it an excellent target for coordinated photometric, spectroscopic, and high-angular-resolution observations. Observations during the 2026-2027 apparition will be essential for improving its spin and shape model before its 2028 close approach.
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All authors Jin Beniyama, Alexey V. Sergeyev, Konstantinos Odysseas Xenos, Benoit Carry, Petr Pravec, Petr Fatka, Peter Kušnírák, Larry Denneau, Vasilij Shevchenko