The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) has announced the country’s first detection of radio signals from a comet using its 40-metre Thai National Radio Telescope (TNRT), a landmark achievement for Thai radio astronomy.
The study, published in The Planetary Science Journal on November 14 2025, reported that researchers detected radio emissions from hydroxyl (OH) radicals in the short-period comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, which completes an orbit around the Sun every 71 years.
When comets approach the Sun, solar radiation causes the icy nucleus to release gas and dust, forming a surrounding atmosphere known as a coma, along with dust and plasma tails. The detection of OH signals enables scientists to estimate the comet’s gas release rate—a process known as outgassing activity—which increases as the comet nears the Sun.