Since it was first spotted in early July, scientists have been fascinated by 3I/ATLAS — the third object in history to have been spotted cruising through our solar system from interstellar space.

The visitor, which is generally suspected to be a comet, has been racing through our star system at a blistering velocity, reaching its closest point to the Sun on October 29.

During that close approach, scientists were surprised to note that 3I/ATLAS brightened much faster than they anticipated. Comets commonly form a tail of gas and dust as they approach the Sun, as its radiation causes solid ice to sublimate into gas, causing material to be stripped from their surface that then reflects more light.

However, astronomers were caught off guard by how quickly 3I/ATLAS’ luminosity grew in observa

See Full Page