Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS to pass near Mars in the coming days.
Since being detected in July by the ATLAS system in Chile, is set for a historic encounter with Mars on October 3rd. Telescopes will be observing in detail, a visitor that may be older than the Solar System itself. The encounter promises answers and possibly new questions.
What telescopes hope to see
will be monitored from various angles. The will try to separate its core from the dust cloud. Additionally, and will use their imaging systems to track the composition of the coma. Telescopes like Hubble, and James Webb on Earth have already detected unusual signals: a plume dominated by carbon dioxide and a strange glow inconsistent with the .
A visitor with anomalies
Astronomers are most surprised by the uniqueness of its parameters. is traveling at 61 km/s in a retrograde orbit with an inclination of 175 degrees. Models suggest it could be around 7.000 billion years old, potentially making it the oldest object observed to date. Furthermore, have detected nickel loss without iron, raising more questions about its origin. All of this places it in a category of its own among the bodies that have crossed our system.
Beyond Mars
After its close pass by the red planet, the object will head towards perihelion on October 29, reaching its closest distance to the Sun. This will be a critical moment as the heat could sublimate more material from its surface, creating a luminous tail visible from Earth by the end of the year. The data collected at Mars will be crucial in confirming whether is an atypical comet or if we are facing a phenomenon that challenges our definitions.
is not just an astronomical event: it is an opportunity to revise manuals on how these bodies form and travel. Whether a comet or something more exotic, its visit will be recorded as a key moment in the search for answers about the origin and evolution of the cosmos.
