Determine whether P/2026 N2 was active during the 2021 apparition

Establish whether P/2026 N2 exhibited cometary activity during the 2021 July 4 DECam observations, and determine whether those data can provide evidence for recurrent activity or an inactive-nucleus baseline.

Background

The paper analyzes ten 150-second DECam ii-band exposures of P/2026 N2 obtained on 2021 July 4. Although a moving source is detected, the source profile is affected by field contamination, trailing, and limited surface-brightness sensitivity.

Comparison with stellar point-spread functions yields only a marginal residual in the profile wings and does not establish near-nucleus broadening. Consequently, the observations cannot currently determine whether the object was active during that apparition or whether it was inactive. Resolving this issue would clarify whether the activity observed in 2026 is recurrent.

References

We therefore classify the July activity as inconclusive. No other convincing detections were found in the DECam archival images examined. The July 4 data do not supply a secure inactive-nucleus magnitude or a calibrated upper limit on coma emission.

— LSST and Keck characterization of outer Main Belt comet P/2026 N2  (2610.22354 - Bolin et al., 15 Oct 2026) in Section 3.3, “Earlier apparitions”; Discussion and Conclusions