3I/ATLAS, an interstellar comet, has recently completed its pass by the Sun, effectively dispelling theories that it might be an alien spacecraft. The comet, which is only the third known interstellar visitor to our Solar System, continued on its trajectory without any significant changes, much to the disappointment of some who speculated it could be a probe observing Earth.
The PUNCH mission, a group of small satellites dedicated to studying the Sun, detected 3I/ATLAS as it emerged from the Sun”s brightness. The pass was anticipated to be crucial for confirming or refuting the hypothesis that the comet was anything beyond a celestial object. Critics of the alien spacecraft theory had suggested that the comet would utilize the Sun”s gravity during its closest approach, known as perihelion, to execute an “Oberth Maneuver” towards Earth. However, tracking systems confirmed that 3I/ATLAS maintained its expected trajectory, leading to the conclusion that the alien hypothesis has been effectively debunked.
Despite the demise of the alien probe theory, scientists find 3I/ATLAS to be an intriguing subject of study. This comet is significantly more active than its predecessors, 1I/”Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, which passed through our Solar System in 2017 and 2019, respectively. Researchers speculate that 3I/ATLAS may be exceptionally old, possibly even older than our Solar System itself. Recent observations have noted increased activity from the comet, including reports of an unusual “anti-tail” and potential jets.
While the data collection is ongoing, the process has involved contributions from the public. An amateur astronomer first shared new images from the PUNCH mission”s automatic data pipeline, as official releases have been delayed due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.
Currently, 3I/ATLAS is moving away from the Solar System and is situated within Mars” orbit. However, research efforts will continue, as the European Space Agency”s ESA plans to observe the comet with its JUICE mission in November. According to Olivier Witasse, an ESA Project Scientist, the observations will take place from November 2 to November 25, utilizing five instruments for remote sensing given the distance of 0.5 Astronomical Units.
While data transmission from JUICE is expected to be slow due to its positioning relative to Earth, initial observations will be available much sooner. 3I/ATLAS will reach its closest proximity to Earth on December 19, at a distance of 269 million kilometers (167 million miles), providing opportunities for both amateur and professional astronomers to observe the comet. Starting Sunday, 3I/ATLAS will be visible in the early morning sky, appearing close to Venus.
