More than two weeks after astronomers first sighted it zooming past the orbit of Jupiter, the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is still keeping most of its secrets. But as this cosmic interloper continues its journey deeper into our solar system and closer to the sun, more and more of its mysteries are likely to be solved.
Our top story this week summarizes what we know of 3I/ATLAS, and the seven biggest questions about it that researchers are rushing to answer.
Personally, I'm most excited by the trends 3I/ATLAS embodies: It's the third known interstellar visitor to the solar system, but certainly not the last. As more of these objects are found by more capable next-generation facilities—such as the brand-new Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile—scientists will be able to better study them not as individuals but as an overall population, potentially revealing important new insights about otherwise-inaccessible planets and stars elsewhere in the Milky Way galaxy.
Some of the potential discoveries are truly breathtaking. If, for instance, a future interstellar object is found swooping within reach of our rocketry, it might be possible to send a spacecraft to it, and perhaps even to gather samples and return them to Earth. Imagine holding a piece in your hand, knowing it got there after voyaging across the depths of space and time from its murky origins around some far-distant alien sun. What might we learn by studying it up close?
Thoughts? Questions? Let me know via e-mail (lbillings@sciam.com), Twitter or Bluesky.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time.
—Lee Billings
