They capture a new interstellar object

They have captured a new interstellar object, which was initially given the name Provisional. At that time, it was called A11pl3Z, and some of the images still show that name. The current name is 3I Atlas. The explanation for the name is simple: 3 because it is the third discovered so far, I for Interstellar, and Atlas for the name of the network of observatories that first captured it.

The Atlas network is part of the planetary defense structure against asteroids and comets. If a comet or asteroid is ever discovered to be on a collision course with Earth, Atlas will surely be the first to sound the alarm. The name is perfect for this task, as Atlas stands for Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System.

The network is funded by NASA and developed and operated by the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. The system currently has four telescopes distributed around the globe, but other telescopes can be added to this basic observatory equipment depending on the circumstances. It should be noted that most observatories are not dedicated exclusively to a single purpose. What astronomers do is request observation time to view the object they are studying, whether it be a galaxy, a planet, a black hole, or a nova, and in the observatory's work schedule, time can be made available to join the work of the Atlas network.

Now, in the case of this new interstellar object, I can assure you that all the observatories around the world will be organizing themselves to make room in their schedules to point their instruments at this 3I/Atlas, including the heavyweights, the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, and surely the new mega telescope located in northern Chile, the Vera Rubin. No one will want to miss the opportunity to discover some of the secrets of this interstellar object.

The object was first detected on June 14, but at that time it could not be identified as interstellar in origin. After that date, numerous telescopes around the world have been reporting additional observations to determine the trajectory and nature of the object, and on July 1, the Atlas survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, reported for the first time that it was a comet from interstellar space.

It should be noted that these interstellar objects come with surprises. For example, the first one discovered, Oumuamua, was found by Robert Werrick on October 19, 2017. Initially, it was believed to be a comet, but later it was found that it did not behave as a comet should, that is, its ice did not sublimate with the heat of the sun, turning from solid to gas and forming a coma, which is the gas bubble that surrounds every comet, and then creating a tail or more, depending on the gas and materials it expels.

So it went from being considered a comet to being considered an asteroid, but it turns out that it did not act like one either, since, curiously, once it passed its point of closest approach to the sun, it began to undergo a strange acceleration that did not correspond to normal gravitational forces. Harvard University astronomer Abraham Loeb speculated at the time that the object might be the remnant of a light sail or solar sail.

An artificial object built by an ancient extraterrestrial civilization, once it had passed the sun, the thrust of sunlight would be the cause of the anomalous acceleration that had been detected. As you can imagine, this was a highly controversial explanation, and to date no evidence has been found to support this theory. Furthermore, no explanation has been found for questions such as whether it was the remnant of a solar sail, or why it did not decelerate when slowed by the thrust of sunlight as it approached its point of closest approach to the sun.

Currently, the most widely accepted theory for this strange phenomenon of Oumuamua's anomalous acceleration is that it is a dried-up comet. Comets are basically made up of ice, but they also contain dust and rock. When they pass close to a star, the outer ice of the comet sublimates, transforming into gas and leaving behind a crust of dust and rocks.

In the end, this dried-up comet has a rocky crust, but it retains some ice from its cometary past inside. Therefore, Oumuamua could behave like an asteroid as it approached the sun, gradually heating up until, once it passed the point of closest approach to our star, the heat from the crust reached the ice inside Oumuamua, causing the ice to turn into gas and escape to the outside like a reactor, accelerating Oumuamua. It seems like a simple explanation, but it is not that simple; it is much more complicated than it seems.

I repeat that this is the most widely accepted theory, but Oumuamua is quite unusual. There is no consensus on its exact size, with estimates ranging from 160 m to 400 m, but everyone agrees that it has a very elongated shape. The most widely accepted estimate is that Oumuamua is about 230 meters long, 35 meters wide, and another 35 meters deep. In astronomy, such elongated and small objects indicate that they must be made of very solid materials, i.e., they must be rocky or even made of metals, because these small objects do not have enough mass to hold their elements together by gravitational forces.

If Oumuamua did not have a very solid structure, being so elongated, the centrifugal force of the rotation or the gravitational pull of a star would be enough to break Oumuamua apart.

Now we just have to wait and see what other surprises this new interstellar object brings, and I will be sure to share them here.

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