The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has stunned astronomers once again after new observations revealed what appear to be Ice Volcanoes erupting from its surface. The startling discovery, described in an arXiv preprint study and confirmed by high-resolution imaging, suggests that 31/ATLAS may share a composition strikingly similar to icy bodies that orbit our own Sun far beyond Neptune.
Cryovolcanic Jets Detected as 3I/ATLAS Approaches the Sun
Researchers analyzing the comet’s coma and jet structures identified spiraling plumes blasting outward—behavior consistent with cryovolcanism. These “ice volcanoes” activate when the comet warms during solar approach, triggering eruptions of volatile materials.
A new study notes that 3I/ATLAS appears to have spiral jets, with scientists interpreting the patterns as “a type of cryovolcanism or icy volcanoes.” Lead author Josep Trigo-Rodríguez, a senior researcher at the Institute of Space Sciences (CSIC/IEEC), emphasized the significance of the finding:
