A rare interstellar comet called 3I/ATLAS is passing through our solar system for only the third time on record, and scientists are studying its composition and origins. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is simultaneously detecting unexpected slowdowns in solar wind at the edge of the solar system caused by interstellar particles.
·3I/ATLAS comet reveals mysterious formation conditions from interstellar space
·Webb telescope detects methane on the interstellar comet's surface
·New Horizons discovers solar wind deceleration from interstellar atom drag at solar system boundary
·Scientists using Rubin observatory tracking skyscraper-sized asteroids and interstellar visitors
·Research explores whether solar sails could enable human interstellar travel
drawn from Smithsonian Magazine, Avi Loeb – Medium, Phys.org, MovieWeb · updated 1d ago