"The interstellar object dubbed 3I/ATLAS has been fascinating astronomers since its discovery in early July. The object, generally believed to be a comet, is screaming through the solar system at around 137,000 mph, and is expected to make a close pass of Mars as soon as next week. And it recently met some considerable resistance as well during its unusual visit. Earlier this week, the Sun unleashed a ferocious flurry of plasma and magnetic fields, called a coronal mass ejection, straight at 3I/ATLAS."
"3I/ATLAS has repeatedly caught researchers off guard. For instance, observations found that it features a much higher ratio of carbon dioxide to water than expected. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has also pondered its strange trajectory, which takes it suspiciously close to Jupiter, Mars, and Venus. Next week, it's expected to come within just 1.67 million miles of Mars, in what Loeb called a "remarkable fine-tuning of its path.""
3I/ATLAS is an interstellar object, generally considered a comet, traveling through the solar system at about 137,000 miles per hour. It is expected to pass roughly 1.67 million miles from Mars next week. The Sun recently sent a coronal mass ejection that struck the object, creating a rare interaction with uncertain outcomes. Comparable events have caused comets like Encke to temporarily lose tails and then regrow them within minutes. Observations show an unusually high carbon dioxide to water ratio. Its trajectory, which brings it close to Jupiter, Mars, and Venus, has prompted divergent hypotheses about its origin and mass.
Read at Futurism
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]