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Prospects for the In Situ detection of Comet C/2019 Y4 ATLAS by Solar Orbiter

Afghan, Qasim; Jones, Geraint H.; Price, Oliver

The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter spacecraft will pass approximately downstream of the position of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) in late May and early June 2020. We predict that the spacecraft may encounter the comet's ion tail around 2020 May 31—June 1, and that the comet's dust tail may be crossed on 2020 June 6. We outline the solar wind feat…