Let’s catch up with preprints:
Astrophysics > Earth and Planetary Astrophysics arxiv.org/abs/2512.09020
Hoogendam, W. B. Kuesters, D. Shappee, B. J. et al. University of Hawaii 88-inch Telescope Observations of the Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Spectrophotometric Blue-Sensitive Spectral Time Series Spanning Two Months from Discovery
The University of Hawaii 88-inch telescope is too small to impress anyone. However, the University uses it well, including now. As a ‘lesser’ telescope, it’s available where bigger assets would be backlogged. Therefore, when a new interstellar object was announced, astronomers could quickly bring it to action in just a few short days. Hoogendam et al. now give the results: activity tracking from almost the time of discovery, to the increase in emissions as the object neared the Sun and warmed. This, combined with spectral information, gives us our first-cut estimates of the composition of those emissions.
Again, my arXiv disclaimer: these papers are not peer-reviewed, and are not considered authoritative (or even final). Here, I’ll say that taking a spectra is pretty basic stuff. I hardly believe the authors somehow failed at something so common, but things happen.