Scientists have been studying an unusual interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, as it made its closest pass to the Sun. The object appears to be losing a massive amount of mass, with Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb suggesting it may have broken up into over a dozen pieces.
New images show the object forming massive “anti-tails” and “smoking” trails as it shed gases at an immense rate. However, this is unusual for a natural comet, which should only lose mass for a short period. The object’s large size and energy absorption capabilities raise questions about its nature.
Loeb calculates that 3I/ATLAS would need to absorb enormous amounts of energy from the Sun to sublimate its icy composition, suggesting a much larger surface area than previously thought. This contradicts previous estimates of the object’s mass and size.
The sudden change in mass loss is “dramatic,” and Loeb wonders if 3I/ATLAS disintegrated or broke up into fragments. Alternatively, it could be an alien spacecraft with advanced technology that doesn’t require a large surface area to lose mass.
With upcoming close flybys of Earth and Jupiter, scientists will have more opportunities to study the object’s nucleus and determine its true nature.
Source: https://futurism.com/space/mysterious-interstellar-object-may-have-exploded