The Strange Come-and-Go of 3I/ATLAS as Two Spacecraft Race to Uncover an Interstellar Mystery
Here’s the thing—3I/ATLAS isn’t behaving like anything we’ve
seen before. The interstellar object keeps vanishing, reappearing, and throwing
off signals that have scientists on edge. And while it hides behind the Sun,
two spacecraft are in a quiet race to figure out what’s really going on.
3I/ATLAS first grabbed attention because of its
unpredictable glow and unusual movement. Right now, it’s on the far side of the
Sun, completely invisible from Earth. That’s not ideal when you’re tracking a
visitor from another star system. So GOES-19 and SOHO have stepped in, watching
the object nonstop to make sure it doesn’t slip away.
As it neared perihelion on October 29, 2025, something odd
happened. The comet suddenly became almost ten times brighter. Scientists think
the Sun’s heat blasted its surface, forcing out gas and dust in huge amounts.
That burst turned it into a glowing beacon—bright enough for spacecraft sensors
to pick up, even through the solar glare.
And here’s what makes things even more interesting.
Space telescopes like STEREO-A, SOHO, and GOES-19 captured
something unexpected: a massive blue-tinted coma surrounding 3I/ATLAS, about
four arcminutes across. That bluish glow isn’t random—it’s a sign that the Sun
is melting ice deep inside the object, turning it into gas. Sunlight then
ionizes those gases, making the comet shine brighter than ever.
NASA researcher Zhang summed it up perfectly: watching an
interstellar object react to our Sun like this is extraordinary. We’re
basically seeing material from a completely different star system heat up and
transform right in front of us.
The catch? We can’t see it from Earth right now. The Sun’s
glare has blocked it out. But that won’t last long. Scientists expect 3I/ATLAS
to reappear in early December 2025, and when it does, telescopes should be able
to catch its long, dramatic tail.
By March 2026, it will swing past Jupiter. That close
approach will help researchers compare its makeup with comets from our own
solar system—a rare chance to study something that has traveled billions of
years through deep space.
And speaking of age, here’s the shocker: 3I/ATLAS might be
the oldest comet we’ve ever found. NASA estimates it could be around 7.6
billion years old, which means it formed three billion years before our
solar system even existed. It’s also massive—about 5.6 kilometers wide,
making it possibly the largest interstellar object ever detected.
So yes, the chase is on. Two spacecraft watching every move,
scientists waiting for its return, and an ancient visitor drifting through our
solar system with secrets from another star.
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