3I/Atlas Has A Dark Secret! скачать в хорошем качестве

3I/Atlas Has A Dark Secret!

On January 1st, 2026, scientists confirmed something impossible: interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is spraying 40 kilograms of water per second into space—at a distance where ice should be frozen solid. This 7-billion-year-old visitor from beyond our solar system is breaking our models of how comets behave. Using NASA's SOHO spacecraft, astronomers detected hydroxyl radicals (the signature of vaporizing water) streaming from the comet at 280 million kilometers from the sun—nearly twice Earth's orbital distance. At that range, our solar system's comets are dormant. But 3I/ATLAS is erupting like a fire hose in the vacuum of space. The mystery deepens: Where is this water coming from? Scientists believe the comet is ejecting clouds of microscopic ice-coated dust grains, each heating rapidly in sunlight and releasing their frozen payload. But this level of activity at such extreme distance defies our current understanding of cometary physics. Even more intriguing: Webb Space Telescope analysis reveals a chemical composition unlike any comet born in our solar system. Higher carbon dioxide ratios, unusual organic molecules—chemical fingerprints from a star system 7 billion years old. On March 16, 2026, NASA's Juno spacecraft will conduct a close flyby as 3I/ATLAS passes Jupiter at 53 million kilometers. This will be humanity's best chance to study an active interstellar comet up close, measuring radio emissions, plasma interactions, and real-time changes in its coma structure. Right now, 3I/ATLAS is visible through telescopes at magnitude +15.6 in Leo, fading as it retreats from the sun. By March, after the Jupiter encounter, it will disappear forever—back into the darkness between stars. This is the third confirmed interstellar visitor we've detected, following 'Oumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019). But statistical models suggest hundreds pass through undetected every year. 3I/ATLAS reminds us: our solar system is not an island. We're part of a galactic neighborhood where ancient travelers carry messages from worlds we'll never see. Sources: Universe Today: Water detection from SOHO spacecraft (Jan 1, 2026) NASA Science: 3I/ATLAS mission page Auburn University: Hydroxyl radical measurements The Astrophysical Journal: Chemical composition analysis ESA: ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter trajectory data TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - The Impossible Discovery 2:15 - Where Is the Water Coming From? 4:15 - The Chemical Fingerprint 6:30 - The Jupiter Encounter (March 16, 2026) 8:15 - What Happens Next Subscribe for the March 16th Juno flyby coverage. #SpaceNews #InterstellarComet #NASA #Astronomy #3IATLAS #SpaceDiscovery #SolarSystem #JunoMission #SOHO #WebbTelescope #Astrophysics #CometDiscovery #InterstellarObject #SpaceScience #CosmicMystery videostock sources: NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center / SVS /pixels