Since its discovery in early July, the interstellar object known as 3I/ATLAS has captured the attention of astronomers. This object is likely a comet rushing through our solar system at a staggering speed of 137,000 mph. It’s set to make a close approach to Mars soon.
Recently, 3I/ATLAS faced a significant hurdle. The Sun released a powerful coronal mass ejection, which sent plasma and magnetic fields directly towards it. This is a rare event, and space weather experts are still trying to understand the effects.
Astronomers have noted that other comets have interacted with solar plasma before. For example, NASA’s STEREO A spacecraft observed a comet named Encke in 2007 as it temporarily lost its tail due to a wave of solar material. NASA later mentioned that the comet quickly formed a new tail shortly after the event.
3I/ATLAS has surprised scientists multiple times. Notably, it has a higher ratio of carbon dioxide to water than expected. Avi Loeb, an astrophysicist at Harvard, has also raised eyebrows with its unusual path, which brings it close to Jupiter, Mars, and Venus. Next week, it is expected to pass just 1.67 million miles from Mars, a trajectory that Loeb described as being remarkably well-tuned. Although he speculated about it being extraterrestrial technology, NASA has pushed back against that notion.
In a recent blog, Loeb suggested that 3I/ATLAS might be much more massive than its predecessors, ‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. He estimates it could weigh over 33 billion tons and measure at least 3.1 miles across, compared to the earlier objects, which were a quarter mile and 0.6 miles long, respectively.
As it nears its closest approach to the Sun, 3I/ATLAS has brightened significantly. Most of the brightness has been in the green part of the spectrum, indicating a surge of gas production as it gets closer to solar radiation. This burst of brightness is primarily due to diatomic carbon, which glows green when energized by ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.
The impact of the recent solar ejection on 3I/ATLAS remains uncertain. However, scientists hope to observe this intriguing object as it speeds by Mars next week, potentially providing more insights into its behavior.
For more details on this fascinating celestial object, you can check out reports from [SpaceWeather](https://spaceweather.com/) and see how researchers continue to explore these mysteries in our solar system.
