Astronomers have announced the discovery of a new interstellar object, designated 3I/ATLAS, which is currently speeding through the Solar System. On July 1, the ATLAS telescope in Chile discovered something big. A guest from beyond the Solar System races into the care of the Sun at a staggering speed of over 60 kilometers per second! This find marks 3I/ATLAS as the third known interstellar object. It comes on the heels of the incredible discoveries of ‘Oumuamua and Comet 2I/Borisov.
In the United States, officials at the Minor Planet Centre quickly confirmed 3I/ATLAS as the second officially recognized interstellar object. Notably, it is the most rapid of the three interstellar objects seen to date. During this perihelion, 3I/ATLAS will come closest to the Sun and be at its brightest. At the same time, Earth will be in the farthest part of the Solar System from Mars.
Early Detection and Observation Opportunities
The new ATLAS telescope snapped right into action and proved its spectacular capabilities as it discovered 3I/ATLAS just ten hours into telescope operations. In that brief period, it discovered more than 2,000 asteroids not known before! The early detection of 3I/ATLAS gives astronomers plenty of time to monitor its path as it moves through the Solar System.
Professor Jonti Horner from the University of Southern Queensland noted, “It has been picked up so early — relatively speaking — that we’ve got at least eight months [during which] we’ll be able to observe it.” This long observation window will allow scientists to collect important data about the object’s composition and behavior.
One of the most surprising features is the extraordinary stability of 3I/ATLAS’s orbit. It doesn’t stray much from its orbit until it gets near the Sun. “Plotting the orbit of this thing [shows] it barely bends as it goes past the Sun,” explained Professor Horner. This defining feature indicates that 3I/ATLAS is indeed free from any gravitational influence on itself. Other celestial bodies in the Solar System have no effect on it.
The Rubin Observatory’s Role
With the newly opened Vera C. Rubin Observatory delivering its first images, that idea isn’t so far-fetched. These publicly available images will allow scientists to detect more interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS in the future. In the end, Professor Horner thinks the Rubin Observatory will be around a factor of ten better at finding new objects. He posits that such a positive development would allow us to discover many of these annually. This futuristic observatory opens exciting new possibilities to find even more interstellar objects. It allows us to expand our knowledge of their derivation and attributes.
The actual size of 3I/ATLAS is unknown. Experts estimate Comet 2I/Borisov’s diameter is somewhere between one and 16 kilometers. Professor Horner speculated about its potential size, stating, “I would say this is probably more along the lines of a few hundred meters to a kilometer across, maybe a bit bigger than that.”
Implications for Astronomy
The identification of 3I/ATLAS opens up deep questions about the nature and behavior of interstellar objects. The speed at which it travels further distinguishes it from its predecessors. As Professor Horner remarked, “Of the three interstellar objects we have seen, this is by far the fastest.” Notably, this incredible velocity suggests a very different origin and interstellar trajectory that could offer critical insight into interstellar dynamics.
Astronomers around the world are still frantically sifting through data from 3I/ATLAS. They understand that this data, while critical in its own right for understanding this object, will indeed lead to future discoveries. “It’s kind of a sneak peek into the future,” Professor Horner added, highlighting the broader implications of this finding.
