(Image credit: Gemini International Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientist. Image processing: J. Miller and M. Rodriguez (Gemini International Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), TA Provost (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab))
A stunning new telescopic image has revealed the growing tail of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. The glowing limb is beginning to take shape as the icy interloper moves ever closer to the Sun on a one-way trip through the solar system.
3I/ATLAS is a comet about 11 kilometers in diameter, first spotted in early July. It is flying toward us from beyond the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. Scientists quickly realized that this super-fast object did not originate in our cosmic neighborhood. Most likely, it was ejected by a distant star within the Milky Way and is now flying past us on its way through the galaxy. The comet’s exact place of origin is unknown, but preliminary data indicate that it is likely much older than the solar system.
On August 27, astronomers using the Gemini South telescope in the Chilean Andes captured a new, detailed image of Comet 3I/ATLAS, clearly revealing the comet’s tail for the first time. This trail of ice and dust is being blown away by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. The tail is just beginning to emerge as the comet’s frozen shell, or nucleus, absorbs more and more solar radiation, causing it to eject more particles from its icy surface. The tail will continue to grow as the comet gets closer to the Sun in the coming months, eventually becoming several times wider than the comet itself.
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NASA's first observations have shown that Comet 3I/ATLAS is unusually “active.”
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The new image also shows a fuzzy cloud of ice and dust surrounding the comet. This cloud, known as a coma, will continue to inflate as the comet warms up in the Sun. This will allow the comet to reflect more light, making it appear brighter in the night sky, although it will not be visible to the naked eye.
These classic cometary features provide further evidence that 3I/ATLAS is a natural object and not an extraterrestrial probe, as some scientists have controversially suggested with little to no supporting evidence.
3I/ATLAS is the third and likely largest interstellar object ever discovered. It follows the sightings of the mysterious object ‘Oumuamua in 2017, which was also misidentified as a potential alien spacecraft, and Comet Borisov in 2019, which also grew an impressive tail.
As Live Science's sister site Space.com recently reported, the current extrasolar object is hurtling toward the sun at more than 130,000 mph (210,000 km/h) and will make its closest approach to Mars next month, giving spacecraft orbiting Mars a better look at the comet and its tail.
The Growing Tail of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS — YouTube
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Comet 3I/ATLAS will reach perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on October 29. But it will be on the other side of our star, Earth, meaning we will lose sight of it at that time and may not see its tail at its peak. The comet will reach its closest approach to Earth in December, when it will come within 275 million kilometers of our planet – about 700 times farther than Earth is from the Moon – before beginning its long journey back out of the Solar System.
Astronomers are eager to study the object in as much detail as possible over the next year to learn more about its origins and how different star systems form and evolve. Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope indicate that 3I/ATLAS contains unusually high levels of water and carbon dioxide compared to other known comets. Additional images of the comet, including a detailed snapshot from the Hubble Space Telescope and a colorful image from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, have also shed light on its composition.
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Each new image of the comet also serves as a constant reminder of this rare cosmic encounter.
“As 3I/ATLAS returns to the depths of interstellar space, this [new] image is both a scientific milestone and a source of wonder,” said Karen Mech, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii and a member of the Gemini Observatory team. “It reminds us that our solar system is just one part of a vast and dynamic galaxy, and that even the most fleeting visitors can leave a lasting mark.”
Harry BakerNavigate Social LinksSenior Staff Writer
Harry is a senior writer for Live Science based in the UK. Before becoming a journalist, he studied marine biology at the University of Exeter. He covers a wide range of topics, including space exploration, planetology, space weather, climate change, animal behaviour and palaeontology. His recent work on solar maximum won the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards in the Best Space Story category and was shortlisted for the 2023 NCTJ Awards for Excellence in the Breaking News category. He also writes Live Science’s weekly series Earth from Space.
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NASA's first observations have shown that Comet 3I/ATLAS is unusually “active.”
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