Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS:
The NASA-funded ATLAS telescope in Chile reported the discovery of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, originating from the constellation Sagittarius.
- 3I/ATLAS Comet is the third confirmed interstellar object (denoted by 3I) after 1I/ʻOumuamua(2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019).
- It travels at a speed of 57–68 km/s in a hyperbolic orbit, confirming its interstellar origin.
- Likely originated from the Milky Way’s thick disk, a region of ancient stars, making it distinct from previous interstellar objects.
- Simulations using the Ōtautahi–Oxford model suggest a 70% probability that it predates the Solar System by over 3 billion years, making it possibly the oldest comet ever observed, at over 7 billion years old.
- It Shows active coma and likely tail, with spectral evidence of water ice and complex organics.
- Its estimated nucleus size is 10–30 km, larger than earlier interstellar comets.
- 3I/ATLAS is the first ISO traced to the Milky Way’s thick disk, unlike earlier ISOs from the thin disk.
- It offers rare insight into primordial galactic material, aiding study of planet formation, organic chemistry, and possibly panspermia.
