The Backward Tail of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

The backward tail of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

Last month, when astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to photograph 3I/ATLAS, they had a "Eureka!" moment. The mysterious interstellar visitor had a fuzzy atmosphere and a growing tail. Clearly, it was a comet. However, something was not quite right. Take a look, and see if you can spot the problem: The tail of 3I/ATLAS points almost straight toward the sun. Normally, comet dust tails are pushed away from the sun by radiation pressure. 3I…

Update: Hubble Space Telescope Observations of the Interstellar Interloper 3I/ATLAS - Astrobiology

We present high angular resolution observations of the third known interstellar interloper, 3I/ATLAS, from the Hubble Space Telescope. The object is clearly active at 3.8 au pre-perihelion, showing dust emitted from the hot Sun-facing side of the nucleus and a weak, radiation pressure swept tail away from the Sun. We apply a simple model to […] The post Update: Hubble Space Telescope Observations of the Interstellar Interloper 3I/ATLAS appeared …