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Picture Courtesy: Indian Express

Context:

NASA has released new high-resolution images of Comet 3I/Atlas, only the third interstellar object ever detected passing through our Solar System. The images come from multiple NASA missions, including Perseverance, MAVEN, Psyche, Lucy, and PUNCH.

What are interstellar objects?

Interstellar objects are celestial bodies that originate outside our Solar System and are not gravitationally bound to the Sun. They travel through interstellar space and occasionally pass through our Solar System. They may be comets, asteroids and rocky fragments.

These bodies are ejected from other planetary systems due to collisions and gravitational slingshots by large planets or their stars. 

What is Comet 3I/Atlas?

Comet 3I/Atlas is the third confirmed interstellar object passing through our Solar System, after 1I/ʻOumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019). It was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile.

Key Features:

• Observations show an active coma and possibility of developing dust tail, consistent with volatile-rich bodies.
• Spectral signatures, point to the presence of water ice along with complex organic molecules.
• Its nucleus is estimated to be 10–30 km in diameter, significantly larger than the nuclei of previously detected interstellar objects. 

Scientific Importance

3I/ATLAS is noteworthy as the first interstellar object linked to the Milky Way’s thick disk, whereas earlier detections came from the thin disk region.
Its ancient composition offers a rare window into primordial galactic material, helping scientists explore:

• Early planet formation environments beyond the Solar System
• Evolution of organic chemistry in different stellar populations
• Long-standing questions about panspermia and interstellar material exchange

Conclusion:
Comet 3I/ATLAS, as an ancient interstellar visitor from the Milky Way’s thick disk, provides an exceptional opportunity to study some of the oldest material in the galaxy. Its hyperbolic path, rich chemistry, and immense age make it a key scientific window into early planetary environments and the building blocks of organic evolution beyond our Solar System.

Source: Indian Express