Washington, USA – In a rare astronomical phenomenon that has baffled space scientists around the world, the interstellar comet “3I ATLAS” has undergone unprecedented changes.
His speed suddenly increased, his color turned blue, and he mysteriously lost his tail.
This comet is the third known object to come from outside the solar system, after ‘Oumuamua and Borisov.
“3I ATLAS” was discovered last July by a telescope in Chile,
NASA confirmed that it poses no threat to Earth.
It will pass through it in December at a distance of 269 million kilometers.
Non-gravitational acceleration
Telescope images have shown that it became brighter and turned a distinctive blue color as it approached the sun at the end of October.
Scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) noted – according to NDTV World –
Until the comet shows signs of “non-gravitational acceleration”,
That is, its movement is not explained by the sun’s gravity alone.
It lost part of its mass
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb explained the phenomenon as being caused by the comet losing part of its mass.
As a result of the emission of gases and dust,
It is likely to lose about one-tenth of its mass in just one month.
The ALMA observatory in Chile also observed a slight deviation in the comet’s trajectory.
Scientists described it as “statistically significant”.
As for the blue color, it is believed to be caused by ionizing gases such as carbon monoxide.
Although Loeb did not rule out the possibility of a technological source behind the phenomenon.
Complete confusion
Most surprisingly, the comet lost its tail completely after approaching the sun.
This is contrary to what is expected in such cases, which has left scientists completely baffled.
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) plan to continue tracking it during its journey towards Jupiter in March 2026.
