Mysterious Object From Deep Space Heads Toward Earth’s Neighborhood

The extraordinary features of a rapidly moving celestial object are scintillating astronomers’ interest. Upon initial discovery, A11pl3Z was given a name but recently NASA has confirmed it as 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object out of four comets or asteroids discovered. Unlike the comets or asteroids which are bound to the sun’s asteroid belt and viewable from spaceship trampolines, this one is a foreign visitor which is not lap bound and offers researchers a great chance to investigate an artifact from another star system. What makes it even odder are the myriad perplexing questions that surround it such as its trajectory around the central bulge of the milky way as well as it’s most possibly unearthly nature.

A Cosmic Speedster Defying Solar Gravity

3I/ATLAS was recently discovered in the latter half of June with its incredibly high velocity of 152,000 mph (245,000 km/h) making it impossible to be captured by the sun’s gravitational pull. This speed means that 3I/ATLAS is not able to come close to our sun since early calculations suggest that the object is on a hyperbolic trajectory which means it will once again be ejected into interstellar space. Further estimates indicate that 3I/ATLAS is a visitor from beyond the solar system, possibly expelled from the vicinity of a star’s planets.

Even more interesting, within 3.8 times the distance of Earth and the Sun, it is poised to cross within 2 Earth-Sun distances by the end of October. Come December, its closest approach to Earth will occur although it will remain out of reach after escaping our solar system.

Is It a Comet, Asteroid… or Something Else?

NASA’s latest assessments show 3I/ATLAS is indeed a comet (why the label asteroid was used initially remains a mystery). It is, however, a peculiar comet.  ‘Oumuamua, the first interstellar visitor, did not display a coma, but this object does exhibit outgassing, which is characteristic of comets composed of ice. Still, this outgassing does not fit within the framework of known comets in the solar system and raises further questions. 

• Estimating between 4 to 12 miles in qucm, this far exceeds the cigar shaped ‘Oumumaua’ estimate of 800 feet. Therefore, this estimate is inconsistent with the previous one.

• The mystery of origin is quite fascinating because the creature approaches from the direction of the galactic center’s bars which is a highly populated star area. This raises the question of what system they originate from. 

Are there alien probes? For the most part, the claims lack evidence still, Avi Loeb from Harvard, who suggested ‘Oumuamua is artificial, remarked that we should look for “non-gravitational acceleration” which could hypothetically signal a technological device.

Mars Gets a Front-Row Seat

In a cosmic coincidence, 3I/ATLAS will get exceptionally close to Mars on October 3, coming within a couple million miles of the red planet. This creates notable possibilities:

• NASA’s Perseverance rover may try to take photos of it, yielding never-before-seen detailed data.

• The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) might study its composition looking for organic or other unexpected molecules.

• The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, marked to begin full operations soon, will track its motion with unrivaled accuracy.

Learning from Past Interstellar Visitors

The lessons learned from both interstellar objects are ‘Oumuamua which was discovered in 2017, and Comet Borisov which was discovered in 2019. These lessons include ‘Oumuamua’s anomalies which involve the objects outgassing.  

• Many Antonov experts believe the object lost out on propulsion systems due to outgassing of fuel or other by-products. Most experts attribute its behavior to natural causes like hydrogen ice.
• The other lesson was specialized ‘Borisov’s familiarity’; this is a hybrid comet observed in our solar system that suggests other universal denizens may not be as rare as we think.

In the meantime, 3I/ATLAS gives us an opportunity to refine other existing theories. It will be interesting if the object gives us samples of unusual propulsion systems or hailed spectral signatures.

Could It Be Artificial? The Debate Rages On

Though Occam’s razor emphasizes a preference for natural reasoning, it has never ruled out unreserved investigation as demanded by the scientific method. The Galileo Project put forth by Loeb proposes the following actions:  

• Detection of abnormal radio or other signals.
• Observation for non-gravitational influences on the object’s acceleration.
• Characterization of the object against known Ø known space debris like discarded spent rocket stages that exhibit light sail-like motion.

However, critics presumed that these interstellar objects are just some extraordinary geological phenomena. Katherine Mack, who is an astrophysicist, stated, “Scientists love outlandish ideas but until every natural possibility is exhausted, even the authors probably don’t believe it.”

How to Spot the Interstellar Wanderer

Amateur astronomers will be able to observe 3I/ATLAS through Virtual Telescope Project’s livestream on July 3. It is expected to reach a magnitude of 10-12 by late 2025, which will make it accessible for observation with long-exposure imaging from backyard telescopes. Important dates are listed below: 

• October 23, 2025: Closest approach to the sun.  
• December 2025: Nearest pass to Earth (~30 million miles away).

Conclusion: A Messenger from the Stars

Regardless of its classification be it a rogue comet, a fragment of a ruptured exoplanet, or something more unusual 3I/ATLAS’s visit brings to light the fact that our solar system is not an isolated island. With next-generation telescopes scheduled to come online, humanity stands at the cusp of an era in which interstellar visitors might routinely be uncovered, with each serving as a cosmic postcard from the great unknown.

Instead of making the assumption that we are alone, Loeb argues, “the universe is so immense that we should instead begin our search.”

Sources:

• LiveScience
• EarthSky