New Images Capture Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Firing Giant Jet Toward Sun

Recently captured images of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS reveal it ejecting a massive jet of gas and dust toward the sun. Discovered in late June and confirmed by NASA in early July, 3I/ATLAS is believed to originate from a distant star system. This comet is significant, being the third interstellar object detected to date.

Key Facts About 3I/ATLAS

• Size: Between 3 and 7 miles (5 to 11 kilometers) wide, making it the largest interstellar object encountered.
• Origins: Potentially billions of years old, predating the sun.
• Discovery Date: Confirmed by NASA in July 2023.
• Recent Observations: New images taken on August 2, 2023, at the Teide Observatory in the Canary Islands.
• Next Key Date: Closest approach to the sun (perihelion) on October 29, 2023.

New Observations and Implications

The images illustrate 3I/ATLAS’s icy nucleus as a black dot surrounded by a glowing plume of material. Notably, a fan-shaped jet is shown extending toward the sun. This jet, color-coded in purple, is ejecting material at high speeds.

Astrophysicist Miquel Serra-Ricart noted that this behavior aligns with typical comet activity. He explained that as comets approach the sun, they heat unevenly, leading certain areas to release jets of gases and dust.

Understanding Comet Jets

Comet jets can point toward the sun, while the tail of the comet typically extends in the opposite direction due to radiation pressure from solar wind. The newly discovered jet from 3I/ATLAS could extend approximately 6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers) from the comet’s surface and is primarily composed of dust and carbon dioxide.

Future Observations

3I/ATLAS flew past Mars on October 3 and is currently moving toward its closest approach to the sun. Following this event, it will become visible again from Earth in mid-November 2023. Astronomers are eager to examine changes in the comet after its perihelion and how its jet and tail may have evolved.

The findings continue to support the understanding of 3I/ATLAS as a natural comet, rather than an alien spacecraft, a theory suggested by a minority of researchers. The upcoming observations promise to provide further insights into this intriguing interstellar visitor.