3rd Interstellar (maybe) comet heading this way

Murrmurr

Murrmurr

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It's called 3I-Atlas (3 for 3rd, I for interstellar), it's on a unique trajectory, and it's behaving very strangely in that, unlike any comet seen before, 3I-Atlas will pass very close to Mars, Jupiter, and Earth, and it appears to be on a path that will take it behind our sun in Oct or Nov. When it emerges, it will be near enough to Earth to be seen with most amateur telescopes.

Scientists are so excited, several papers have already been written about it (and published). Some argue that it is not a comet, a couple think it could be technological, not natural, others are not sure what it is, and more than a few scientists are adamant that we should be taking measures now in case it heads directly toward Earth after it emerges from behind our sun, when it will be too late.

This thing is larger than the meteor that wiped out a lot of dinosaurs and is traveling at an incredible speed. Faster than any object we've seen before.

Here's one scientist who says it doesn't look like a comet, be open to it being technological, and brace for impact (a fascinating 20 min video):


Here's Anton Petrov's 3rd update about it, still referring to it as a comet (13.29 min):

 

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This object that's hurtling toward Earth is called 3I/ATLAS because it's the 3rd interstellar object (that's the number 3 + capital letter i) to be discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS.

(Don't be scared by the words "terrestrial-impact last alert" - 3I/ATLAS is not expected to impact the Earth. The closest it's expected to get is about 167 million miles, or 269 million km away, and not til sometime in mid-December.)

This object has scientists excited for numerous reasons:
(1) It's from another galaxy (we don't know which one), and (2) it's traveling exceptionally fast (3) on an unusual trajectory.
So far, (4) not all observers are certain it's a comet even though it has a tail.
That's because (5) the tail appears to be unusually short and (6) is out-gassing toward our sun instead of away from it, like every other comet we've observed.
Also unusual is (7) it does not look like an icy tail, but a dusty, gassy one, which (8) contains a massive amount of carbon dioxide instead of carbon monoxide like every other comet we've observed. But it is, after all, interstellar and we don't know it's origin.
Lastly, (9) it's expected to approach and pass by no fewer that 3 of our solar system's planets.

Anyway, I'm going to be posting updated observations of 3I/ATLAS on this thread.

I'll post videos from NASA and various astronomers and physicists that I come across, but also from channels like The Angry Astronaut and others who are educated about such things, but not completely close-minded about the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

I'll start with The Angry Astronaut, posted today, 8/31/25.

 
I spend a great deal of time contemplating what so many of the phenomena occurring in space could mean. I love the many theories I have read and attempt to come up with some of my own.

Of course, I am not a professional in this area, but it fascinates me no end.

My son and I often tackle different, "what ifs" in our discussions, and we have a great time. I'll have to clue him into these videos, Frank.
 
MoBeans said:
Well, the way this decade is going so far, an alien invasion would be par for the course.
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Imagine the chaos. Political parties rushing to either give them voting rights, or block them, powerful nation's military forces fighting over their technology, Coca-Cola's new slogan "#1 choice of Aliens" and a new flavor named after their planet, Alien Pride t-shirts and flags... 🤪
 
Murrmurr said:
Imagine the chaos. Political parties rushing to either give them voting rights, or block them, powerful nation's military forces fighting over their technology, Coca-Cola's new slogan "#1 choice of Aliens" and a new flavor named after their planet, Alien Pride t-shirts and flags... 🤪
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ICE would round them up and ship them off to a planet they have never seen before.
 
Murrmurr said:
Neil has his own science, does he? 😜

One of the things scientists are most excited about with 3I/ATLAS is that it will come near enough for closer study. It would be great if the sun slows it down a bit, too, but we'll see what happens there.
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Neil's science/entertainment. It's the way I learned science. It started with Mr. Rogers! :)

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Paco Dennis said:
Neil's science/entertainment. It's the way I learned science. It started with Mr. Rogers! :)

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My sons liked Bill Nye's program, and the oldest one says Nye is why he got into physics. He's not a physicist, but he's an engineer in metals construction, and that's all about physics and math. (Today, he's got an Azimov library that eats up the largest wall in his house.)
 
Because characteristics of 3I/Atlas have sparked controversy, rumors, and grand leaps to otherworldly conclusions, it's easy to get distracted.

As it draws nearer, 3I/Atlas is showing definite characteristics of a comet, rather than an asteroid or something else, however, its out-gassing is comprised of unexpected materials, such as a great amount of nickle but very little of nickle's usual companion, iron. But the object isn't from around here, so, while that's very surprising, it isn't alarming...it reveals something about 3I/Atlas's origin, which is extremely exciting.

The motion of 31/ATLAS suggests an age of about 7 billion years, meaning it came from a star system much older than ours. The materials it ejects gives us a profile of what its star system is like (or was like), as well as indications of how our own galaxy has changed, because it's expected that 3I/Atlas has picked up bits and pieces of floating debris during its very long journey. And the blanket of debris around it is massive.

In July, scientists observed the tail reddening. It was already known the object itself is red, indicating prolonged exposure to cosmic rays. That it continues to redden indicates that 3I/Atlas is evolving as it gets increasingly heated by our sun. Reliable sources are saying the tail is becoming a longer, stronger spike, but it's still shooting out toward the sun, rather than trailing behind the object and away from the sun. That's called an anti-tail - very unusual, but it has been seen before.

It's expected that 3I/Atlas will eventually form a more conventional tail as it speeds closer to our sun, but that remains to be seen and is dependent on how much ice the object contains. Observation by NASA's Sphere X on Aug 21st found an ice emission, but also a very strong carbon dioxide emission. Interestingly, it did not see a water-vapor emission. 3I/Atlas has the highest carbon dioxide to water-vapor ratio ever seen in comets.

Earthlings are positioning as many outer-space observers as possible to ensure the best data-gathering and imaging possible. The observer spacecraft known as "Juice" should be in the best position, and the one to watch.

Already well-positioned observationally are ESA'a SOHO solar probe, the Parker solar probe, and NASA's PUNCH probe, all 3 of which can make day-today observations while 3I/ATLAS cruises through our system, albeit at lower than desired resolutions.
 

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