An interstelary object observed previously in the solar system could be the oldest comet of all those ever discovered by scientists.
The object received the name 3i/atlas. Observations have shown that it is rich in water. It is the third interstelary “guest” known in the solar system and the first to come from a completely different region of the Milky Way. According to researchers at Oxford University, the comet could be older than 7 billion years. Its trajectory suggests that it comes from the thick disk of the Milky Way – a region of the galaxy containing very old stars. This area is above and below the main plane in which the sun and most of the other stars are located.
The comets that have formed in the solar system have a maximum of 4.5 billion years old. But the interstellar objects can be much older.
Comet 3i/Atlas was first observed on July 1, 2025, with the help of the Atlas telescope in Chile. At that time, it was about 670 million kilometers from the sun.
As it approaches the sun, its light will heat the surface of the comet, causing the release of gases and dust. These will form a coma and light tail.
Scientists believe that 3i/Atlas is greater than the other interstellar objects known so far – ‘Oumuamua and Comet Borisov. In the future, the research will continue with the new observer Vera Rubin, reports Live Science.
Previously it was announced that the new observatory has discovered over 2,000 asteroids in the solar system in just a few days. Seven of them were classified as objects close to the earth. In perspective, the total number of objects discovered by this observation could reach several million.
As it approaches the sun, its light will heat the surface of the comet, causing the release of gases and dust. These will form a coma and light tail.
Scientists believe that 3i/Atlas is greater than the other interstellar objects known so far – ‘Oumuamua and Comet Borisov. In the future, the research will continue with the new observer Vera Rubin, reports Live Science.
Previously it was announced that the new observatory has discovered over 2,000 asteroids in the solar system in just a few days. Seven of them were classified as objects close to the earth. In perspective, the total number of objects discovered by this observation could reach several million.
