Source: IE
Context: The object 3I/Atlas, discovered by the ATLAS telescope in Chile, has been confirmed as the third-ever interstellar object, potentially older than our Solar System.
About 3I/Atlas – Third-Ever Interstellar Object:
- What is 3I/Atlas?
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- Interstellar Origin: 3I/Atlas is a hyperbolically orbiting interstellar object, meaning it came from outside our solar system and is not gravitationally bound to the Sun.
- Discovery: It was spotted by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Río Hurtado, Chile, when it was around 670 million km from the Sun.
- Key Features of 3I/Atlas:
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- High Speed: It moves at ~60 km/s — too fast to be held by the Sun’s gravity — confirming its interstellar nature.
- Current Distance: The object is now near Jupiter’s orbit, about 917 million km from Earth.
- Oldest Known Comet: Scientists estimate its age to be 7 billion years, which is older than the 4.6-billion-year-old Solar System.
- Significance of 3I/Atlas:
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- Clues to Alien Worlds: Studying it may reveal the chemical and physical makeup of distant planetary systems.
- Rare Interstellar Sample: It gives humanity a direct connection to exoplanetary material, much before space travel allows such exploration.
- Builds on Past Discoveries: It follows 1I/ʻOumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019) as the only known interstellar visitors so far.
- How Scientists Confirm It’s Interstellar?
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- Orbit Calculation: Its open hyperbolic trajectory lacks a returning aphelion, unlike native solar system objects that have elliptical paths.
- Initial Velocity: Its high approach speed at a great distance shows it didn’t accelerate here — it came in fast, already moving from another system.
