🚀 Mysterious Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS is Far More Massive Than Expected, and it’s Buzzing Mars

 

Photo: futurism.com

For years, astronomers have tracked rare visitors from beyond our solar system, with 'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov being the first two detected interstellar objects. Now, the third such visitor, 3I/ATLAS, is proving to be a true enigma—and potentially, far larger than anyone thought.

A Giant in Our System

According to analysis by Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, 3I/ATLAS is not just unusual; it's absolutely enormous. By studying the object’s trajectory and its “non-gravitational acceleration,” Loeb and his colleagues inferred that the object’s total mass must be bigger than 33 billion tons.

This staggering finding suggests the solid nucleus of 3I/ATLAS could be larger than 3.1 miles (5 km) in diameter. To put that into perspective, this size makes it a colossal three to five orders of magnitude more massive than both 'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.

An Unusually Close Approach to Mars

Adding to the mystery is 3I/ATLAS's highly unusual trajectory. In a remarkable feat of "fine-tuning," the object will come within a mere 1.67 million miles of Mars' orbit around the Sun.

Loeb has advocated for pointing the HiRISE camera attached to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at the visitor to confirm its actual size. If HiRISE confirms a core larger than 3.1 miles, Loeb argues, then an origin associated with the typical reservoir of rocky material would become "untenable."

Comet or Alien Technology?

The extraordinary mass, rare trajectory, and sheer size of 3I/ATLAS lead to one burning question: Is 3I/ATLAS an unusually massive comet with an unusual chemical composition on an unusually rare trajectory, or is it alien technology?

As Loeb suggests, we shouldn't "judge a book by its cover," and a detailed observation is crucial to understanding the true nature of this massive interstellar visitor.

Source: Mysterious Object Screaming Toward Mars Is Huge and Far More Massive Than Scientists Thought