Surprising New Images Show Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Shifting to Bright Green: What This Means for Skywatchers!

Surprising new photos of comet 3I/ATLAS, taken during last week’s total lunar eclipse, reveal that this “interstellar visitor” might be turning bright green. This change comes as it approaches the halfway point in its journey through the solar system.

3I/ATLAS is about 7 miles wide and was first spotted in early July, racing towards Earth at over 130,000 mph. Observers quickly identified it as an interstellar object, likely ejected from a distant star system. This comet could be much older than our solar system.

Currently, 3I/ATLAS is on a course for a flyby of Mars next month, before it reaches its closest point to the sun on October 29. As it gets nearer to our star, it absorbs more solar radiation. This heat causes it to release ice, gas, and dust, forming its traditional cometary tail.

Astrophotographers Michael Jäger and Gerald Rhemann captured stunning images of the comet during the “blood moon” eclipse, showing it with a surprising green hue. This change is thought to be linked to new chemicals being expelled from its core. However, experts emphasize that more observations are needed to confirm this green glow, as few have seen it yet.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first comet to display a green coloration. In recent years, comets like C/2022 E3 and 12P/Pons-Brooks also showed similar hues as they neared the sun. The green glow typically comes from a molecule called dicarbon, found in the comet’s coma. Though studies of 3I/ATLAS haven’t confirmed its presence yet, it might be hidden beneath layers of ice.

Avi Loeb, an astronomer at Harvard University, offers another hypothesis. He suggests that cyanide, detected in the comet’s coma, might also explain the color change.

As 3I/ATLAS speeds through space, it becomes a fascinating subject for both scientists and stargazers. It’s a reminder of how dynamic our universe is and how much there is still to learn.

Unfortunately, once it passes the sun, the comet will be out of sight for a while. It’s set to return in December, just before it gets closest to Earth—700 times further away than the moon. Keep an eye on the skies!



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