The solar system has uninvited guests who are traveling one way through our space neighborhood and are currently filming towards us.
The newly discovered interstellar visitor named 3i/Atlas is the third visitor ever seen.
It was discovered on July 1st and quickly raised an eyebrow due to its high speed and extreme trajectory. This suggests that it passes directly through the solar system. Within 24 hours, NASA confirmed that the object did not belong here and was destined to leave again.
You might like it
The most likely extsolar entity is barreling towards us at over 130,000 mph (210,000 km/h), reaching the closest point in late October, then begins a long journey towards interstellar space.
Related: Watching the newly discovered “interstellar visitor” 3i/Atlas film towards us in its first live stream
However, this discovery raises many questions about 3i/Atlas, including where it came from, what it is made of, and how researchers will best study it when it becomes closest to Earth.
What are interstellar objects?
Interstellar objects (ISOs) arise from outside the sphere of the influence of the Sun. This includes asteroids and comets captured by gravity. However, there is currently no system to discover these objects.
So the only confirmed ISO we know is that we saw zooming the solar system at high speed.
Only two other ISOs were confirmed. 1i/’Oumuamua, a space rock discovered in 2017. And then there was 2i/Borisov, a comet discovered in 2019. But astronomers have long assumed that there are many ISOs that we cannot see.
In 2014, a potential ISO exploded in the sky above Papua New Guinea. But this is inconclusive.
How was 3i/Atlas discovered?
3i/Atlas was first discovered in data collected by the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Trastor Alt System (Atlas) between June 25th and June 29th. The object was initially called A11PL3Z before receiving the official specification.
According to NASA, several other researchers quickly established that the object is an ISO using data returned to June 15th.
Over 40 researchers matched the results to papers uploaded to Preprint Server Arxiv, which was uploaded on July 3rd. This was the first study written about new objects.
The 3i/Atlas discovery was a group effort and a reminder of the importance of cooperation, the research authors of Michigan State University astronomer Darryl Seligman told Live Science in an email. “We only have one shot on this object, but it disappeared forever,” he added. “So we want a lot of information from every observatory as much as possible.”
What do you know about 3i/atlas?
Researchers initially assumed that 3i/Atlas was an asteroid. However, later observations show that the objects appear to be more similar to comets.
According to the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Centre, the interlopers show “tentative signs of comedic incense activity” with what appears to be a tail, surrounded by bright clouds of gas and ice called coma. The proposed comet name is C/2025 N1 (ATLAS).
The 3i/Atlas differs from its predecessor due to its size, but Aster Taylor, a graduate student at the University of Michigan, co-author of the new study, says “it’s difficult to measure the size right now.”
Researchers estimate that the comet and its coma state are 15km (24km) in diameter, significantly larger than the “Oumuamua or Comet Borisov” which is less than a mile (1.6km) wide. It also travels faster in orbit than the other two interstellar objects.
The past two objects have come towards the sun compared to the trajectory of the homestar through the Milky Way, while 3i/Atlas appears perpendicular to the trajectory of the sun. “It’s unique to say the least.”
Does 3i/Atlas pose danger to the Earth?
3i/Atlas was about 4.5 astronomical units (Au) from the Sun when it was discovered, or 4.5 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
On October 30th, you will reach the closest point to the Sun or close relative and come within 1.5 AU of Homestar. Shortly before this occurs, the object takes the closest approach to Mars, coming within the 0.4 AU of the red planet. However, the comet took the closest approach to our planet in December and returned from the solar system. As a result, “comets pose no threat to Earth, [minimum] “At least 1.6 astronomical units distance,” a NASA official wrote.
According to SpaceWeather.com, the object is currently too faint for a backyard stargazer to see, but will be significantly brighter as it moves towards the sun and becomes visible in the coming months.
Where did 3i/Atlas come from?
Researchers are keen to work where 3i/Atlas comes. Another investigation, uploaded to preprint server ARXIV on July 7, suggests it likely came from the “thick disk” of the Milky Way, which accounts for about two-thirds of Galaxy’s stars. However, researchers need more information to identify more accurate loacs.
“But it may have come from many stars, not really a local star,” Fraser pointed out.
We know what general orientation an object is coming from, but it is difficult to match it to a potential star system without knowing how old it is. The comet could have “wandered for billions of years before paying for a chance visit,” told Live Science via email by Princeton University doctoral candidate Amir Silage, who previously studied interstellar objects.
We just discovered 3i/Atlas and could have been with us for quite some time.
It is likely that it entered Neptune’s orbit in mid-2023, and passed the distant gas giant in early 2028, and astronomer Marco Micheli at the Earth Object Control Center near the European Space Agency, told Live Science via email that he “helped in discovering Umuamua.” Depending on where you define the edge of the solar system, it could take up to decades for the ISO to pass fully, he added.
Is 3i/atlas an ali amplobe?
It is highly unlikely that 3i/Atlas will have any connection to extraterrestrial civilizations.
“When Oumuamua was discovered in 2017, some experts argued that the ISO could be a spacecraft disguised due to an abnormality in acceleration.
However, the same theory has not been proposed so far, as 3i/Atlas appears to act like a regular comet.
Nevertheless, some researchers are still keen to study ISOs for similar reasons. “We first proposed the theory that Oumuamua is an extraterrestrial technology,” said Avi Loeb, a Harvard astronomer.
Can I access 3i/atlas?
I previously sent a probe to other objects like 3i/Atlas. For example, in 2020, NASA’s Osiris Rex mission succeeded on the potentially dangerous asteroid Bennu, collecting samples and later returned to Earth.
Researchers had previously proposed similar missions for “Oumuamua” and future ISOs. But this is unlikely for 3i/Atlas: “It might be possible in theory, but I can’t do it because there is no mission to do this,” Taylor said.
Seligman added that following the proposed cuts in NASA’s budget, the current “financing status” also makes the mission possible after proposing NASA’s budget.
When can I find the next interstellar object?
Experts told Live Science that ISOS passes through solar systems much more frequently than we find them, but it is unclear how often this will happen.
Progressing, experts believe it will be better to find interstellar intruders thanks to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which has recently taken the first image and has already found a new asteroid.
“I think this will be a more frequent event,” Micheli said.
The next ISO was seen “around a year faster,” Taylor added, but Fraser believes he can start to find one “every two years” from now on.
With each discovery, researchers can learn more about the alien star system and the exoplanets that exist within it.
Source link
