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<\/p>\nEverything You Need To Know About 3I\/ATLAS<\/p>\n
A comet from another star system, known as 3I\/ATLAS, is giving astronomers a rare chance to study an object that began its journey billions of years ago, far beyond our solar system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis comet in particular is interesting since it’s actually from outside of our solar system,\u201d explained Qicheng Zhang, a postdoctoral fellow at Lowell Observatory. \u201cThe \u2018i\u2019 in 3I stands for interstellar, which means it’s an interstellar object. In this case, it’s an interstellar comet because we can actually see it outgassing and producing dust.\u201d<\/p>\n
That \u201cinterstellar\u201d label makes it truly rare. It’s one of only three confirmed interstellar objects ever detected from our planet.<\/p>\n
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By signing up you agree to the Terms<\/a> & Privacy Policy<\/a>. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p>\n 3I\/ATLAS was discovered in 2024 by the ATLAS Survey, a network of telescopes designed to hunt for asteroids and comets that could pose a threat to Earth. \u201cSince July, it\u2019s been brightening as it\u2019s been approaching the sun,\u201d Zhang said.<\/p>\n (MORE: New Astronauts Face -400 Degree Nights<\/a>)<\/p>\n Now that it\u2019s reemerging from the Sun\u2019s glare, astronomers are getting another chance to study it, and early data has already revealed a few surprises.<\/p>\n What Makes 3I\/ATLAS So Unusual<\/p>\n Shortly after its discovery, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observed 3I\/ATLAS and found that it was \u201coutgassing a somewhat unusual mixture of gases that had a lot more carbon dioxide relative to water vapor than normal solar system comets,” Zhang explained.<\/p>\n That finding could tell us something extraordinary about the comet’s origins. \u201cIt could mean that this object just for some reason has a lot of carbon dioxide relative to water, which could be an indication of maybe where it formed or perhaps just the composition of the star or the planetary system that it came from,\u201d Zhang said.<\/p>\n Alternatively, it might be due to its incredible speed<\/a>. Unlike local comets that slowly drift through our solar system, this one came racing in. \u201cIt’s equivalent to someone throwing a ball down a building instead of just dropping it from rest,” said Zhang.<\/p>\n (MORE: How Solar Wind Creates Northern Lights<\/a>)<\/p>\n Because it\u2019s moving so fast, 3I\/ATLAS may have held on to frozen carbon dioxide (think: \u201cdry ice\u201d) that other comets normally lose as they warm near the Sun.<\/p>\n What Astronomers Are Looking for Next<\/p>\n Now that the comet has passed its closest point to the Sun, researchers are watching closely to see how it changes. \u201cJWST observations are scheduled for December,\u201d Zhang said, \u201cand perhaps we\u2019ll get a clearer picture of what the comet is actually made of.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the next couple of months, telescopes around the world will track how the comet\u2019s outgassing (the release of vapor and dust that qualifies something as a “comet”<\/a>) changes as it moves away from the Sun.<\/p>\n The goal: to understand how this visitor compares to comets born in our own solar system, and whether its makeup reveals clues about the environment it came from.<\/p>\n Why 3I\/ATLAS Matters<\/p>\n Studying 3I\/ATLAS could help scientists understand how other planetary systems form, and how our solar system fits into the bigger picture. “Is there something special about the solar system that produced life and produced Earth as we know it? Or perhaps that’s just something you get with every planetary system.\u201d<\/p>\n