Brightness readings, coma structure, and dust-tail morphology all resemble familiar icy bodies from the outer solar system. As one researcher noted in an early analysis, “Everything we’re seeing points to a completely natural comet—just one born in someone else’s backyard.”
Related Links
- ESA Comet Tracking: https://www.esa.int
- NASA 3I/ATLAS Updates: https://www.nasa.gov
- UN Planetary Defense Overview: https://www.un.org
- Video — Object 3I/ATLAS Is Approaching Earth: https://www.youtube.com
A Trajectory Bending in Unexpected Ways
The excitement surrounding 31/ATLAS is not only its interstellar origin—it’s the fact that its trajectory toward Jupiter has become more complicated than expected. As astronomers refine its orbit with updated measurements, they’ve noticed that its path doesn’t follow a simple gravitational curve.
Instead, subtle non-gravitational forces appear to be at work.
When sunlight warms the comet’s surface, volatile ices sublimate into gas and dust, producing jets that act like tiny thrusters. These jets can nudge a fragile nucleus slightly off course. Technical analyses tracking its evolving motion confirm this behavior.
