3I/ATLAS interstellar comet post-perihelion maneuver abnormal? This concern has actually gotten attention after brand-new information revealed the interstellar comet as a single body after perihelion. The observations, jet patterns, mass loss price quotes and energy estimations raise concerns about 3I/ATLASits interstellar comet habits and its possible post-perihelion maneuverScientists are analyzing whether the activity is natural or if the 3I/ATLAS interstellar comet post-perihelion maneuver recommends an abnormal procedure.
3I/ATLAS interstellar comet post-perihelion maneuver abnormal?
3I/ATLAS interstellar comet post-perihelion maneuver abnormal? This concern has actually emerged once again after brand-new observations and computations connected to the item. The comet drew attention since of its habits after perihelion and the pattern of its jets. Scientists continue to analyze the information to comprehend whether the activity matches natural comet habits.
3I/ATLAS interstellar comet brand-new observational information after perihelion
Avi Loeb stated in a post on Medium that technological thrusters pointing their exhaust towards the Sun might develop velocity far from the Sun. He kept in mind that a post-perihelion maneuver might match such habits if a spacecraft tried to acquire speed utilizing the Sun’s gravity. This description existed due to the fact that 3I/ATLAS reveals indications that are various from what is anticipated from a natural comet.
The interstellar things did not separate near the Sun. Images handled November 11, 2025, reveal 3I/ATLAS as a single body. There was no proof of fragmentation after the perihelion passage 2 weeks previously. The images were taken by David Jewitt and Jane Luu utilizing the Nordic Optical Telescope in La Palma. The telescope utilizes a main mirror with a size of 2.56 meters.
3I/ATLAS interstellar comet elongation patterns and jet angles analyzed
The radiance around 3I/ATLAS reveals a strong elongation. The position angle is 106 degrees, with a margin of 10 degrees. This angle is close to the predicted sunward instructions of 115 degrees. A comparable pattern was formerly caught by the Hubble Space Telescope in July 2025. That image revealed an anti-tail pointing towards the Sun.
The brand-new image likewise reveals another weaker asymmetry at a position angle of 301 degrees, with a margin of 1 degree. This angle is close to the predicted anti-solar instructions of 295 degrees. Scientists state these angles offer hints about jet habits and the interaction in between the things and the surrounding environment.
In huge systems, the range in between 3I/ATLAS and the Sun was 1.43 au. The range from Earth was 2.16 au. The image covers an area that has to do with half a million kilometers broad.
Jet structures and missing out on functions in the brand-new picture of 3I/ATLAS interstellar comet
Long-range jet structures seen in wide-field images previously were not noticeable in this brand-new information. The most likely factor is that the telescope utilized an R-band filter. This filter eliminates most gaseous emission lines. As an outcome, just dust-based functions appear in the image.
Earlier reports revealed long-range jets. On November 9, 2025, one big image revealed jets extending one million kilometers towards the Sun and 3 million kilometers in the opposite instructions. For a natural comet, the anticipated outflow speed is around 0.4 kilometers per second. This matches the sound speed of gas at the comet’s range from the Sun. With that speed, these jets would require to continue for one to 3 months.
Energy requires and mass loss computations raise concerns about 3I/ATLAS
Jets towards the Sun were come by the solar wind at one million kilometers. Utilizing this limitation, researchers approximated that the mass density of the jets was a couple of million proton masses per cubic centimeter. When increased by the jet speed, the mass flux ends up being about 5 billion heaps every month per area of a million kilometers on each side.
Sublimating co2 ice needs 600 Joules for each gram. To sublimate 5 billion lots of CO ₂ throughout the month around perihelion, the item would require a minimum of 3 × 10 ^ 18 Joules. At its perihelion range, the Sun provided just 700 Joules per square meter each second. Based upon this, the soaking up area would require to be a minimum of 1,600 square kilometers.
This location equates to a sphere with a size of 23 kilometers. The Hubble Space Telescope previously approximated the optimum size of 3I/ATLAS to be 5.6 kilometers. Water ice would require an even bigger size of 51 kilometers. Genuine comets typically have ice spots that cover just a little part of the surface area. This makes the numbers difficult to match for a single undamaged body.
A brand-new abnormality and the requirement for descriptions
These estimations raise another abnormality. The information does not match the anticipated habits of a natural comet. Loeb stated that scientists need to resolve this abnormality instead of overlook it. He estimated Albert Einstein, keeping in mind that knowledge needs searching in all instructions and not relying just on recognized concepts.
Frequently asked questions
Q1: Why is 3I/ATLAS interstellar comet post-perihelion maneuver abnormal?
Observations reveal strong jets, high energy requirements and no break up. These aspects do not match natural comet habits and raise concerns about possible alternative descriptions.
Q2: What did brand-new images expose about 3I/ATLAS interstellar comet post-perihelion maneuver abnormal?
New images revealed a single body, sunward elongation and jet asymmetry. Missing out on gaseous functions recommend filter results, while earlier information revealed big jets and high mass loss.
