Astronomers have discovered only the third known interstellar object entering our solar system, designated as 3I/ATLAS. The suspected comet has zoomed past Jupiter’s orbit at a high speed, making it unlikely to be caught by the sun’s gravitational force. With a hyperbolic trajectory, 3I/ATLAS is believed to have originated from another star and was ejected into interstellar space.
The discovery was made on July 1 by Larry Denneau using a telescope in Chile as part of the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). Further observations will be conducted using powerful observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope. These telescopes may uncover the comet’s age, which could potentially be the oldest comet ever seen.
Astronomer Bryce Bolin, who worked on the discovery, revealed that he didn’t sleep for 35 hours following the announcement, saying it “ruined my weekend.” The comet is expected to pass by Mars before returning to interstellar space later this year.
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-interstellar-object-3i-atlass-biggest-mysteries-explained