Do you like a mystery? I know these cold case TV shows are very popular. Here's one that is a mystery and a cold case and is also real - but not solved. It's all about an interstellar traveler, designated 3I/ATLAS.
The case began on July 1, 2025, when the very official NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in Chile first reported the observation of a faint, fast-moving speck.
Initial calculations by the Minor Planet Center revealed a trajectory of impossible geometry: a hyperbolic orbit with an astounding eccentricity of approximately 6.137. That mysterious kinematic signature confirms that the object was unbound to the Sun's gravity. It originated from a different star system. It is an authentic interstellar interloper.
It is currently executing a close, swift pass through our star system. It's the third confirmed object of its kind. Its arrival is not merely an event; it is a profound scientific riddle wrapped in the volatile cloak of an alien comet.
As the comet rushed toward its perihelion (closest approach to the Sun), it began to reveal itself—and the mystery deepened. On July 2, observations solidified its cometary nature by detecting a faint coma and tail. This activity was unexpected, commencing at $6.4 \text{ AU}$ from the Sun (farther than Jupiter’s orbit), a distance typically too great for water ice sublimation. The activity, instead, was driven by highly volatile, deep-space ices.
On October 28, 2025, the celestial visitor neared its peak velocity, and perihelion occurred on October 29. The comet is not an Earth threat, but it was a great scientific opportunity.
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