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APThe newly confirmed visitor, now named 3I/ATLAS, is likely the largest and fastest interstellar object ever detected (Representative Photo)
For only the third time in recorded history, astronomers have confirmed the arrival of an object from beyond our solar system. Now officially designated 3I/ATLAS (also known as C/2025 N1), the comet-like body is racing toward the Sun at more than 60 kilometers per second, and is believed to have originated from interstellar space.The Minor Planet Center (MPC), operated by the International Astronomical Union, officially classified the object as interstellar on July 2, 2025, following trajectory analysis and early observational data.Its motion, unbound by the Sun鈥檚 gravity, confirms that it originated outside the solar system and is just passing through.Also Read: They survived ice ages and hunted mammoths; so why did the Neanderthals suddenly disappear? Now a physicist blames something in the skyWhat is the new interstellar object 3I/ATLAS?The object was first spotted on July 1, 2025, by NASA鈥檚 ATLAS survey in Hawaii, under the temporary name A11pl3Z.Live Events3I/ATLAS has been classified as interstellar, meaning it is not orbiting the Sun and will eventually leave our solar system altogether. The only two previously confirmed interstellar objects of this category are 鈥極umuamua (2017) and Comet 2I/Borisov (2019). Astronomers believe the object is a comet made mostly of ice, as indicated by a faint coma and tail unlike 鈥極umuamua, which sparked debate due to its unusual shape and lack of comet-like activity. Early estimates place its size between 10 and 20 kilometers in diameter, making it potentially the largest interstellar object ever detected.Is there any threat to Earth?According to Richard Moissl, head of planetary defense at the European Space Agency, the object is zooming through the solar system at over 60 km/s (37 miles/s). It is expected to reach perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) in October 2025, at around 2 AU (twice the Earth-Sun distance).The object will pass just inside Mars’s orbit without posing any threat to Earth. According to physicist and VLBI radio astronomer Marshall Eubanks, it could get close enough to be detectable by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.By April 2026, it is expected to reach 90 km/s relative to Earth, potentially setting a record for the fastest such flyby ever recorded.ObservationsAmateur and professional astronomers have independently confirmed images of 3I/ATLAS. Astrophotographer Filipp Romanov captured the object using a remote telescope in Chile.At the same time, Sam Deen and the Deep Random Survey provided supporting data by locating the object in archival imagery dating back to late June.Currently visible only from the Southern Hemisphere, the object has a visual magnitude of around 18.8, highly dim to unaided observation.However, advanced amateur telescopes may be able to capture it as it brightens to magnitude 16 by August.Astronomer Eddie Irizarry has released star charts showing the comet’s expected path through the constellation Sagittarius and past star clusters like M3.Though sending a mission to intercept 3I/ATLAS is not feasible due to its high speed and late detection, studying its composition and behavior can offer rare insights into the formation of other star systems. If precursors of life, such as amino acids, are ever found on such objects, it could significantly strengthen the case for extraterrestrial life.As Mark Norris, an astronomer at the University of Central Lancashire, said to AFP, 鈥淭hese visitors offer scientists a rare chance to study something from beyond our own star system, a direct sample from another corner of the galaxy.鈥漈he object will remain observable with powerful telescopes into next year, gradually fading as it exits the solar system. Some models suggest that thousands of such objects may drift through at any given time, most too small or dim to detect.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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