We already knew that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was different from the other two interstellar objects known to have traversed the Solar System, but a slew of new observations suggest it may be even weirder than the weirder that it was.

NASA and ESA instruments Hubble , SPHEREx , JWST , and TESS have all captured the object as it makes its way towards the Sun. The results show that not only was 3I/ATLAS actively outgassing long before we spotted it, but its atmosphere (or coma) has a higher proportion of carbon dioxide than scientists usually see in comets, interstellar or otherwise.

This could tell us something about the environment in which 3I/ATLAS formed, the space conditions through which it has traveled, or even the internal composition of the comet.

Related: Fuzzy, L

See Full Page