Scientists left baffled after discovering interstellar object hurtling towards our solar system
It's only the third time in history that astronomers have witnessed something like this in space
Britt Jones
A rare visitor from beyond the stars is set to make its way into our solar system, as scientists finally work out what the mystery object is.
According Harvard physicist Avi Loeb, the object - which originated in interstellar space - was spotted by astronomers hurtling towards our solar system, and it’ll speed through at more than 41 miles per second.
Scientists were scratching their heads trying to figure out what the mystery object was, and they've finally hit the nail on the head after discovering it's a large comet.
The comet - which is called 3I/ATLAS and is the third-ever interstellar object to be discovered - is expected to whizz by us on December 17.
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This zooming anomaly is odd at best, mostly because the course it’s taking and the speed it’s traveling at isn’t the norm.
Astronomer Sam Deen first spotted the comet a couple of weeks ago, but the strange object has been noted by the International Astronomical Union after its whereabouts were confirmed.
The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center added the comet to its Near-Earth Object list on July 1, and it was also listed on NASA/JPL’s website for Near-Earth Object Confirmation Page.
Thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be any worry that it could hit Earth, and considering how big it is, it would not be a pretty impact if it did.
The comet is believed to be approximately 4.5 astronomical units (AU) or 416 million miles from the sun according to NASA, and has been designated the name of 3I/ATLAS by the Minor Planet Center (MPC).
The '3I' part of its moniker is due to the fact it's the third known interstellar object to be in our solar system.
People online previously speculated what it could be before it was confirmed to be a large comet… and you can only guess what the top theory was.
Aliens, of course.
One person called it a ‘space frisbee’ while someone else joked that it could be Superman doing his usual rounds around our planet.
Mostly, people were just relieved that it’s not going to hit us, but they shared that the distance it is from us is ‘still quite close’.
On its current trajectory, the interstellar comet should come within 2.4 astronomical units of Earth (223 million miles).
Unlike Oumuamua, which was an object that passed through our solar system and was not a known comet or asteroid, it’s unlikely this one is going to be mixed up with being an alien spacecraft anytime soon.
Oumuamua baffled scientists when it was within sight, with Loeb writing in a Medium Wednesday article: “It was inferred to have a disk-like shape and to exhibit non-gravitational acceleration, raising the possibility of an artificial origin.”
However, there is a chance that 3I/ATLAS isn’t as big as it seems.
It simply could have a lot of space dust around it making it appear bigger to our systems.
Regardless, I’m just glad it’s far away...