The mystery surrounding the interplanetary visitor to our solar system has deepened after the object was noticed to have a sudden movement as it approached the sun.
NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) recorded the object, known as 3I/ATLAS, displaying a "non-gravitational velocity" on October 29, during its closest approach to the sun.
In simple terms, this means that the object is being given a boost by a mysterious force that cannot be explained by gravity alone. Some scientists believe this could be a sign that the object is a spacecraft with its own engine.
According to JPL's readings, 3I/ATLAS experienced two main parts of its strange motion around the sun: a straight push away from the star and a small sideways shift.
Most scientists still consider it an ordinary comet from a distant solar system, with a unique chemical composition that makes it look different from the cosmic rocks that have formed within our solar system.
Unusual appearance
3I/ATLAS has been brightening around the sun, about 7.5 times faster than normal comets.
While most comets turn red from the coldness of the surface, 3I/ATLAS became bluer than the sun at perihelion.
Harvard scientist Avi Loeb suggests that the thrust and color change could be the result of massive ice evaporation, but he also doesn't rule out the possibility of a powered vehicle and artificial light inside the object.
He explains:
"The blue color could be a sign of ionized carbon monoxide or a hot engine. The non-gravitational velocity could come from cometary evaporation or technological propulsion."
The object has also shown other strange features.
It developed a rear "anti-cloud", which before perihelion was directed towards the sun, and then turned into a normal tail.
Its unusual path passes near three planets, and the unique chemical combination of its components, including nickel and carbon dioxide, raises doubts that it is not simply a cosmic rock.
Loeb has calculated that the probability of all these phenomena occurring simultaneously is 1 in 10 quadrillion.
He adds that many fellow scientists who dismiss the most extraordinary possibilities are more concerned with being right and avoiding criticism than with warning the public about a potentially world-changing event.
"We're talking about a potential that could affect humanity in the future in a dramatic way, and we shouldn't use the most conservative approach possible," Loeb said. /GazetaExpress/
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