One of the most anticipated moments by scientists will take place on Friday, December 19thif the Comet 3I/ATLAS is 270 million kilometers from Earth. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), this figure is 1.8 times the distance between our planet and the Sun and is the closest point ever measured.
Astronomers are turning their attention to the coma, the cloud of gas and dust that surrounds the core. The latest images released by the POT and other space organisms clearly show part of their dust and gas structure, raising questions about the structure of the celestial body.
Comet 3I/ATLAS reaches the closest point to Earth: How and at what time can you see it in Argentina?
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Xabier Perez CoutoAstrophysicist at the University of Coruña and leader of the research team that managed to reconstruct the orbit of the cOmega 3I/ATLASexplained: “As it approaches, solar radiation heats its surface and causes the embedded ice to begin to sublimate, that is, to rapidly change from a solid to a gaseous state. This process creates a coma, a shell of gas that glows when illuminated by the Sun.”
The specialists of the American space agency You stated that the comma of 3I/ATLAS It is dominated by carbon dioxide in an extraordinary proportion: almost 8 to 1 with respect to water (H₂O).
The secrets of the composition of Comet 3I/ATLAS
Hydroxyl gas (OH) represents a valuable indicator for detecting the presence of water in interstellar space. This molecule is formed when the sun’s ultraviolet rays break down water molecules (H2O) into hydrogen atoms and hydroxyl radicals.
International space agencies have initiated planetary defense exercises ahead of the approach of Comet 3I/ATLAS
In the case of Comet 3I/ATLASThe presence of hydroxyl gas at a distance of 2.9 astronomical units from the Sun indicates exceptionally early water activity. This indirect detection method is particularly useful for studying comets and other bodies where water may be present in different forms.
By combining elements such as volatile gases such as CO2, methanol, water and organic compounds, complex molecules such as amino acids, RNA (ribonucleic acid) blocks and organic precursors can be formed under appropriate conditions.
Alert for Comet 3I/ATLAS: Experts detected “activation signs” before it approached Earth
The moment of maximum proximity will allow us to study the object’s brightness, composition and behavior in more detail Comet 3I/ATLASan important opportunity to understand materials that originated outside the solar system.
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