Tag: comets
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Polarization of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS vs Solar System Comets: A Comparative Analysis
Introduction Polarimetric measurements are a powerful tool for diagnosing the microphysics of dust in cometary comae. Recent work by Z. Gray and colleagues reports extended polarimetric data for the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, offering a rare window into the dust composition and scattering behavior of an object that traverses interstellar space before entering the solar system.…
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Polarization Comparison: 3I/ATLAS Interstellar Comet vs Distant Solar System Comets
Overview: Polarimetric insights into 3I/ATLAS Recent measurements of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, reported by Z. Gray and colleagues, provide a unique window into the microphysics of dust in an extrasolar environment. By extending the polarimetric phase function over a broad range of phase angles, the study constrains the real part of the refractive index of…
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Polarization Parallels: Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS and Distant Solar System Comets
Overview Recent polarimetric measurements of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, as reported by Z. Gray and colleagues, offer a surprising parallel with distant solar system comets. The analysis indicates that the microphysical properties of dust in the coma of 3I/ATLAS are not demonstrably different from those of far-flung comets within our own solar system. This finding…
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Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Shows Water Emission Far from the Sun, Hinting at Life-Building Molecules Crossing the Galaxy
Interstellar Guest 3I/ATLAS Delivers Surprising Water Signatures In a landmark discovery, the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS has shown measurable signs of water, challenging assumptions about how water and the ingredients of life might move through the galaxy. As the third known object to enter our solar system from another star, 3I/ATLAS is no longer just a…
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Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS Skims Mars Sky: What ESA’s Rovers Revealed
Interstellar visitor crosses the Martian sky As October 2025 unfolded, astronomers faced a familiar puzzle: how do you observe something that’s on the opposite side of the Sun? The answer, in part, lay with the many rovers and spacecraft stationed on Mars. From 1 to 7 October, Europe’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars…
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Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Mars Flyby Captured by ESA
What is 3I/ATLAS? Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is one of the rare visitors from beyond our solar system. Discovered in 2017 and confirmed as the third interstellar object to enter our cosmic neighborhood, 3I/ATLAS joins the ranks of 1I/ʻOumuamua and 2I/Borisov. Unlike most comets born within the solar system, 3I/ATLAS originates from another star system, carrying…
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ESA’s ExoMars and Mars Express Observe Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
ESA’s Mars Orbiters Turn Their Eyes on a True Interstellar Visitor In a surprising turn for planetary science, Europe’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars Express have recorded observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. While the nucleus remains far too faint to resolve, the coma surrounding the comet’s icy-rocky core becomes visible in CaSSIS…
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Rare ESA Images Capture Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Speeding Past Mars
ESA Captures Rare Interstellar Visitor Near Mars The European Space Agency has released remarkable images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it whizzed past the Red Planet. The observation marks one of the closest looks yet at a celestial body that did not originate in our solar system, offering a rare glimpse into the building blocks…
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Closest view yet of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS captured by Mars orbiter
Interstellar guest returns to the spotlight The interstellar wanderer 3I/ATLAS has yielded the closest images yet from a Mars-orbiting spacecraft, offering a rare glimpse of a visitor that did not begin in our solar system. European Space Agency (ESA) officials confirmed that the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), along with NASA’s Mars Express, captured a…
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Closest view of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS captured by Mars orbiter
New milestone in interstellar exploration The European Space Agency (ESA) has released the closest images yet of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, captured during its pass by Mars on October 3. The images were taken by ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), with Mars Express contributing observations that, together, provide a unique glimpse of the mysterious visitor…