Statler noted:
“3I/ATLAS is releasing more nickel than iron. That’s extremely unusual and something we’ll study for years.”
A Multi-Mission Astronomy Event
Thanks to fortunate spacecraft placement, NASA captured the comet from multiple angles:
- MRO’s HiRISE camera caught the earliest upper-atmosphere shots
- Lucy observed the bright tail from the opposite side of the sun
- Psyche provided high-resolution distant images
- SOHO recorded the comet during its post-Mars phase
- MAVEN, ExoMars, and Hubble tracked it as it passed near Mars
Statler explained:
“Earth was on the wrong side of the sun to see the closest approach, but Mars was perfectly positioned.”
NASA maintains an active list of all missions involved:
https://www.nasa.gov/
A Visitor Older Than Our Sun
The most extraordinary realization is that comet 3I/ATLAS may come from a stellar system older than the Sun itself.
Statler described the significance:
“It likely came from a solar system older than our own… it gives me goosebumps.”
