3I/Atlas, an interstellar object traveling at approximately 61 kilometers per second, was detected in July as it approached the sun. It marks the third observation of such an object, following Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. Scientists are eager to analyze its size and chemical makeup, with Hubble providing images showing a fuzzy appearance resembling a snowball. The existence of a comet tail and chemical signatures will help in understanding the comet's origins, although speculation about alien life has been dismissed, attributing its nature to natural cosmic phenomena.
3I/Atlas is only the third known interstellar object to have been observed, after Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.
In the Hubble image, 3I/Atlas looks a bit like a fuzzy snowball, due to its coma formed from heating by the sun.
Chemical signatures of elements and molecules from outside our solar system will become more visible the closer it gets to the sun.
There are signs of a comet tail, and we can use spectroscopy to understand exactly what the material in 3I/Atlas is.
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