The first official image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, captured after its close encounter with the Sun, has intensified a scientific mystery. As the object re-emerges from the Sun’s glare, astronomers worldwide are watching closely, anticipating that its oddities might increase. The core question now is whether a tenth major anomaly will be added to its growing list, a decision hinging on the detection of a colossal amount of gas.
What Did Solar Observatories Discover?
As 3I/ATLAS approached the Sun, solar observatories including STEREO, SOHO, and GOES-19 recorded three critical changes. The comet brightened quickly, a phenomena that was predicted but occurred significantly more quickly than anticipated. For the first time, it also demonstrated non-gravitational acceleration, a movement that was not only brought about by the Sun’s gravity. Most remarkably, in contrast to comets near perihelion, which often appear red due to scattered sunlight from dust, the comet turned a brilliant blue.
Data from the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) is now being analyzed to understand this unusual acceleration.
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Why is the Rapid Brightening So Puzzling?
The extreme brightening of 3I/ATLAS has left scientists searching for answers. Researchers Qicheng Zhang and Karl Battams noted in a paper that the reason for this rapid brightening “remains unclear.” They suggest the comet’s high speed and unique internal composition are likely factors. The scientists theorize that “oddities in nucleus properties like composition, shape, or structure,” possibly formed in its original star system or during its long interstellar journey, may be responsible. This implies the comet is built from fundamentally different material than comets from our own Oort cloud.
Could There Be a Tenth Anomaly?
Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has presented a critical test that could reveal a tenth anomaly. He argues that if 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet, the observed non-gravitational acceleration would require it to have lost a tremendous amount of mass. Loeb states this would mean the surrounding gas must measure over 5 billion tons and should be easily observable in upcoming studies. However, he posits that if this massive gas cloud is not found, the non-gravitational acceleration itself would become the tenth unexplained property. This is because such acceleration should not occur without the jetting effect of a massive coma of gas and dust.
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What Happens Now?
The scientific community is now in a race to observe 3I/ATLAS as it moves away from the Sun. The recent image from the Lowell Discovery Telescope is one of the first post-perihelion glimpses, and missions like the PUNCH satellite group have also collected data. The key focus will be on measuring the comet’s gas output. The search for the predicted five billion tons of gas will determine if the object’s behavior can be explained by known comet science or if its mysteries are only deepening.
