Astronomers are closely studying 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system, which is currently racing past Mars. A new study analyzing data from the European Very Large Telescope reveals that the object’s gas plume contains unusually high amounts of nickel and iron, making it distinct from both comets within our solar system and the previous interstellar visitor, 2I/Borisov. This discovery is puzzling because the temperatures at which comets are observed should be far too low for such metals to vaporize. Researchers suggest that either 3I/ATLAS is metal-rich or that chemical anomalies are enhancing its production of metals, further complicating efforts to understand this mysterious traveler.

Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb has weighed in, urging NASA to use the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for a closer look to estimate the comet’s size. Loeb argues that 3I/ATLAS could be enormous—larger than Manhattan Island and vastly more massive than 1I/ʻOumuamua, the first known interstellar object. While most evidence points to 3I/ATLAS being a natural comet, Loeb cautions against dismissing the possibility of it being an artificial object, raising once again the “black swan” scenario of a technological artifact. As 3I/ATLAS streaks across the skies, its strange composition and immense scale continue to challenge astronomers and fuel speculation about what lies beyond our cosmic neighborhood.

SOURCE: Futurism