Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS May Have Self-Ejected With Just 93 m/s Speed
Scientists discovered that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS needed only 93 meters per second to escape its parent star system. The comet formed in another star system and was somehow ejected into the space between stars before visiting our solar system.
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has puzzled scientists since its discovery. The space rock formed around a distant star but somehow escaped to wander through interstellar space before entering our solar system.
New research shows the comet needed surprisingly little speed to break free from its home system. At just 93 meters per second, that's about 208 miles per hour - fast for a car but slow for escaping a star's gravity.
Observations by David Jewitt and Jane Luu using the Nordic Optical Telescope confirmed the comet was clearly active with a diffuse appearance as it passed through our solar system. It made its closest approach to the Sun in October.
NASA says 3I/ATLAS will soon leave our solar system and never return. However, the data collected from studying this cosmic visitor will help scientists understand how objects move between star systems and what conditions allow comets to escape their birth places.
This finding helps scientists understand how objects move between star systems and could reveal new information about how planets and comets form. It shows that even small changes in speed can send space objects on journeys lasting millions of years.
Scientists will continue analyzing data from 3I/ATLAS observations as the comet exits our solar system permanently.
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