Comet 3I/ATLAS recently passed through the solar system, sparking scientific interest that it could be much older than the Sun, possibly dating back to the earliest days of the universe.
According to researchers, the comet could be as old as 14 billion years, offering a rare glimpse into the early stages of star information.
3I/ATLAS’ orbital measurements showed that the solar system entered the solar system at a speed that cannot be explained by the Sun’s gravity alone. Its sharply inclined hyperbolic path indicates that it is not bound to the sun and will never return.
The researchers further investigated its speed and trajectory relative to the Sun and other stars in the Milky Way. This suggests that 3I/ATLAS comes from a primitive stellar population that formed early in the universe.
The 3I/ATLAS study offers scientists an intriguing and rare opportunity to examine material from the earliest phases of cosmic history. This will further help us refine our models of stars, and more broadly, of the solid bodies in interstellar space.
Nevertheless, current observations from known observatories remain consistent with known astrophysical processes, even though some speculative ideas have been proposed, including theories of artificial origin.
