December 19th will not be a day for them interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. This date was consolidated in the astronomical calendar as “D-Day” because it marks the point closest approach from the mysterious object to Earth. After this event, the comet will begin an irreversible journey to the ends of space and leave our solar system forever.
This cosmic traveler, only the third of its kind confirmed to come from outside our star system, will pass at a distance of about 50 km 270 million kilometers from Earthaccording to measurements of the POT. Although this distance guarantees absolute safety for our planet, December 19th offers the best window for this detailed observation.
To assess it, those interested must use optical instruments such as small telescopes or astronomical binocularssince its low luminosity, estimated at an apparent magnitude of about 10, prevents it from being visible to the naked eye. The ideal time for your search is during the hours before sunrisewith the darker sky and with an orientation of the view towards the southeastern horizon, close to constellations such as Virgo and Leo.
3I/ATLAS was discovered in July and has since attracted the attention of scientists due to a number of unusual features. After its closest approach to the Sun on October 29, the comet showed a significant activity. Recent NASA images captured by the Hubble Telescope revealed its core, the surrounding gas cloud known as a coma, and an even more striking phenomenon: the Presence of two tails. The European Space Agency (ESA) stated that one of these “Plasma tail“, formed from electrically charged gas, and the other, a “Powder tail“weak, composed of solid particles. This double structure is a sign of a.” intense activity on his journey.
In addition to the tails, astronomers discovered unusual behavior described as a “heartbeat”.. New observations revealed that every 16.16 hours, streams of gas and dust shoot out in rhythmic bursts, producing an intermittent glow that waxes and wanes by 20 to 40%. The official explanation from NASA and ESA is that the comet’s nucleus rotates once every 16.16 hours, exposing areas of ice that, when heated by the Sun, Go straight to the gascreating these jets that work “like a clock.” The ejected material can reach speeds of up to 1,585 kilometers per hour and travel 25,000 kilometers, resulting in glowing pulse.
However, astrophysicist Avi Loeb found that this glow is present too intense can be explained solely by the spin of the nucleus. From their perspective, if only the nucleus produced the jets, the large coma would have to attenuate these flashes, limiting the brightness fluctuation to 5% rather than the observed 20-40%. Loeb also pointed out other anomalies in previous observations, such as: Non-gravitational acceleration exceptionally large, which is not justified by normal iron degassing, and a atypical chemical composition with unusual carbon dioxide and nickel content.
These properties, along with the lack of a large gas cloud that would justify its acceleration, prompted some researchers, such as: B. Loeb to think about it more speculative hypotheseseven with an approximation of the possibility that it is one Structure of artificial or technological origin. However, NASA has completely ruled out this hypothesis and insisted that the 3I/ATLAS is a natural object.
Despite scientific debate about its exact nature, the truth is that 3I/ATLAS represents a unique opportunity for the Study of interstellar objectsas it allows better monitoring of celestial bodies that may pose risks in the future. After December 19, its hyperbolic trajectory will take it beyond Jupiter’s orbit in the spring of 2026, and its brightness will progressively decrease by then disappear from our sight and never return to the solar system.
This content was created by a LA NACION team with the support of AI.
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