[ad_1]
The rare interstellar object called 3I/ATLAS, which originated from outside our solar system, is all set to reach its closest point to the Sun around October 29/30.
It is expected to zoom to a distance of about 1.4 AU (130 million miles, or 210 million kilometers) from the Sun – just inside the orbit of Mars.
Comet 3I/ATLAS is currently the hottest interstellar object among astronomers and scientists who are working around the clock to study its shape and physical properties.
Is Comet 3I/ATLAS a threat to Earth? Can we see it in the sky? Does it have anything to do with ‘Aliens’? Where did it come from? Let’s take a deeper dive into what Comet 3I/ATLAS actually is.
When was Comet 3I/ATLAS discovered?
Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1, 2025, by the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Final Warning System) survey telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile.
Where did it come from?
An official from NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) said that Comet 3i/ATLAS came from outside our solar system. When the orbit of 3I/ATLAS is traced in time, the comet clearly originates from outside our Solar System.
“Comet 3i/ATLAS is the third known object from outside our solar system to be discovered passing through our celestial neighborhood,” NASA said.
How did this comet get its name?
Comets are usually named after their discoverers. In this case, it was the Atlas Survey team. The letter “I” stands for “interstellar,” indicating that the object came from outside our solar system.
It is the third known interstellar object – after 1I/ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019 – hence the “3” in the name.
Why is it called an interstellar object?
According to NASA, astronomers have classified Comet 3I/ATLAS as an interstellar object due to the hyperbolic shape of its orbital path. It does not follow a closed orbital path around the Sun.
Every planet, moon, asteroid, comet and life form in our solar system has a similar origin. But interstellar comets are “true outliers”, holding clues about the formation of worlds far beyond our own, ESA said.
Is Comet 3I/ATLAS any threat to Earth?
NASA said that Comet 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth and will remain at a safe distance.
When will the comet reach closest to the Sun?
At its closest to Earth it will be at a distance of 1.8 astronomical units (about 170 million miles or 270 million kilometers). It will reach its closest point to the Sun around October 30, 2025.
What makes its closest approach to the Sun interesting?
This encounter is expected to dramatically change the comet.
As it orbits the Sun, 3I/ATLAS is expected to flare up dramatically as its ices vaporize, giving astronomers a rare glimpse of how alien comets behave when they heat up near our star.
Its tail can be large and shiny. Astronomers are also keeping an eye on the direction of the comet’s tail.
The comet’s “coma” forms as 3I/ATLAS approaches the Sun, space agencies said.
ESA said the Sun’s heat and radiation are bringing the comet to life, causing it to release gas and dust, which collects as this halo around the nucleus.
Ultimately, material from the coma flows out into a long tail, which can be millions of kilometers long as the comet gets closer to the Sun.
Can we see it from the ground on Earth?
3I/ATLAS may remain visible to ground-based telescopes until September 2025, after which it will pass too close to the Sun to be seen.
It will reappear on the other side of the Sun in early December 2025, allowing fresh observations.
But reports suggest that 3I/ATLAS is currently hidden in the Sun’s glare and is not visible from Earth.
Can we see the tail of a comet?
The comet’s “coma” measuring a few thousand kilometers was “clearly visible” in an image shared by ESA on 7 October.
In the video below, Comet 3I/ATLAS is described as a “little hazy white dot” moving downwards near the center of the image. This point is the center of the comet, which includes its icy-rocky nucleus and its surrounding coma.
Does Comet 3I/ATLAS have any “alien” connection?
Harvard scientist Avi Loeb questioned in his blog, “Is this an alien technology in the form of a natural comet?”
Avi Loeb warned that a Manhattan-sized interstellar object passing through our solar system could be more of a snowball than a spacecraft – a “Trojan Horse” of extraterrestrial secrets – whose presence has major implications for “humanity”.
Loeb also expressed concern over Atlas’ non-gravitational acceleration and unusual trajectory that would bring it suspiciously close to Jupiter, Venus and Mars. New York Post Informed.
They reported – in a somewhat far-fetched paper published in July – that these factors might suggest that this was an alien probe sent to Earth to conduct reconnaissance, possibly with hostile intentions.
Could this be a ‘Black Swan Event’?
Loeb speculated that the international community should remain alert and prepare a defense plan if 31/ATLAS is a “black swan event” – defined as a high-impact, unexpected event that is rare, has a large impact, and is difficult to predict under normal circumstances but appears inevitable later.
What is a comet made of?
ESA said scientists will continue to analyze the data and try to figure out what 3I/ATLAS is made of and how it is behaving as it approaches the Sun.
according to gulf news, 3I/ATLAS has an interesting chemistry – “It’s filled with carbon dioxide, cyanide, and even atomic nickel vapor, which gives it a unique glow and smell (if you can somehow smell space).”
The comet’s nucleus is less than 1 km wide, surrounded by a glowing cloud of dust and gas (coma), the report said.
How old is Comet 3I/ATLAS?
Based on its trajectory, astronomers suspect that 3I/ATLAS may be the oldest comet ever observed. According to ESA, it could be as much as 3 billion years older than the Solar System, which itself is already 4.6 billion years old.
[ad_2]
