US EditionInterstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is erupting in 'ice volcanoes', new images suggest
Observations from Spain reveal cryovolcanic jets on 3I/ATLAS, resembling icy trans-Neptunian objects and driven by sublimation and internal chemical reactions, researchers say.
- On Nov. 24, a preprint on arXiv reported detailed gas and dust jets on comet 3I/ATLAS, observed with the Joan Oró Telescope at the Montsec Observatory, indicating signs of cryovolcanism.
- During its Oct. 29 perihelion, 3I/ATLAS brightened after intense sublimation near about 235,000,000 miles from the Sun as solid carbon dioxide sublimation enabled oxidizing liquids to react with metallic grains.
- Spectroscopy compared 3I/ATLAS to Antarctic carbonaceous chondrites, while observers recorded an incoming velocity about 137,000 miles per hour and jet spiral structures observed from Spain.
- Scientists are racing to study 3I/ATLAS before its departure next year as it nears its closest point to Earth later this month with size estimates between 1,400 feet and 3.5 miles.
- The findings position 3I/ATLAS as TNO-like, suggesting it resembles icy trans-Neptunian objects and urging missions like ESA's Comet Interceptor to sample interstellar visitors and their records.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS showed signs of frozen volcanic activity as it approached the Sun. Astronomers observed eruptions of cryovolcanes, known as ice volcanoes, which expelled jets of frozen material from its surface.This phenomenon provided key indications about the internal structure of the celestial object.The observations were presented in a study published on November 24 on the arXiv preprint server.Although it has not been peer-r…
3I/ATLAS Appears to Be Erupting in Ice Volcanos
Mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS reached its perihelion, or its closest point to the Sun, earlier this year, shedding copious amounts of ice and dust in the process. The material has formed enormous jets that reach out like a tail behind the visitor, which is widely believed to be a comet — and even an “anti-tail” that faces the Sun. It’s such a violent process, astronomers have found that the surface of 3I/ATLAS’ nucleus could be dotted …
Scientists observed “criovolcanes” in activity in the celestial body, providing a new clue on its interior
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