Since early July, telescopic observatories worldwide have been monitoring 3I/ATLAS, our third confirmed interstellar guest. This comet was first identified by the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) network, and 3I refers to it being the third interstellar object discovered. Though the US government shutdown posed challenges in late October, coinciding with the comet's nearest Sun pass, critical operations continued, albeit without public access to real-time data or analysis from NASA.
NASA rectified this with a recent press conference, detailing current knowledge of 3I/ATLAS and how NASA's instruments contributed to these findings. Officials emphasized that the comet is a standard celestial object, countering conjectures of it being an extraterrestrial spaceship.
As an 'extrasolar comet,' 3I/ATLAS holds significance as only the third object of its kind identified as originating from another star. Its cometary nature is apparent due to its coma of gas and dust and the tail that forms as solar heat interacts with its materials. However, despite its identifiable features, some, notably Avi Loeb, speculate it could be an artificial craft, a theory NASA firmly dismisses. 'This object is a comet,' reaffirmed Associate Administrator Amit Kshatrya. 'It looks and behaves like a comet, and all evidence points to it being a comet.'
The term 'extrasolar' relates to the path of its orbit. Eccentricity, a parameter that defines orbit shape, illustrates its unique trajectory. A zero eccentricity represents a perfect circle, with rising values elongating the ellipse. At an eccentricity of one, an object traces a parabolic path, allowing it to escape the Sun's gravitational influence and drift into the galaxy, outlining a narrow arc resembling a champagne glass's curvature.