"The mysterious interstellar object traveling through our solar system has been spotted acting like no other comet ever seen before, revealing its alien origins. Scientists from Michigan State University announced that they have uncovered new images of the object dubbed 3I/ATLAS, which were taken months before its official discovery in early July. Those pictures revealed how 3I/ATLAS was spewing gas or dust into space long before it started approaching our sun, something highly unusual for a distant comet."
"However, the new images showed that 3I/ATLAS was releasing a gas while it was still six times as far as Earth's distance to the sun, roughly 558 million miles. Scientists believe this means the mystery comet could be filled with a unique collection of molecules, including carbon monoxide, an odorless gas often produced by burning wood or fossil fuels. Researchers used old images from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to spot 3I/ATLAS before it was officially found on July 1, 2025."
3I/ATLAS exhibited gas or dust emission months before its official discovery, showing activity while still about six times Earth's distance from the Sun (roughly 558 million miles). Archival TESS images taken May 7–June 2 captured the early activity prior to the object's identification on July 1, 2025. The premature outgassing contrasts with typical solar-system comets that emit water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia only when heated closer to the Sun. Early activity implies a volatile inventory enriched in molecules such as carbon monoxide. The object's trajectory lies near the solar system ecliptic and suggests formation in a chemically different extrasolar environment. These observations provide a rare opportunity to study extrasolar material without sending spacecraft.
Read at Mail Online
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