A Blue-Green Coma and a Clue to the Comet’s Origin
The comet has also displayed a blue-green gas coma stretching 2.5 arcminutes—an indication of complex chemical interactions.
To investigate its makeup, scientists performed a spectroscopic comparison, examining how the comet’s materials interacted with light. They even compared the data to carbonaceous chondrites collected by NASA from Antarctica—ancient meteorites that preserve some of the earliest material in the solar system.
One sample included what may be a fragment of a trans-Neptunian object. The similarity between this material and the composition of 31/ATLAS suggests that the interstellar comet may share origins with the icy worlds that inhabit our own outer solar system.
The study concludes that 3I/ATLAS is likely rich in metals and composed of primitive, pristine materials, offering researchers an unprecedented glimpse into planetary systems beyond our own.
USA Herald, 31/ATLAS, 3I/ATLAS comet, Interstellar comet, Ice volcanoes, Cryovolcanism, Trans-Neptunian objects, Joan Oró Telescope, Montsec Observatory, Blue-green coma, Carbonaceous chondrites, Interstellar astronomy, Comet composition, Solar system formation, Sublimation jets, Cryovolcanic activity
