Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, which was discovered by astronomers in 2019, has been found to exhibit water activity. This discovery was made by a team of researchers led by Dr. Alan Fitzsimmons of the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast. The team’s findings were recently published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
The 3I/ATLAS object, also known as C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), is the third interstellar object to be discovered and the first to exhibit water activity. It was first detected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in December 2019. The object is believed to have originated from a distant star system and has a highly hyperbolic orbit, indicating that it is not bound by the sun’s gravity.
Dr. Fitzsimmons and his team used the William Herschel Telescope and the Gran Telescopio Canarias, both located in the Canary Islands, to observe 3I/ATLAS. Through their observations, they discovered the presence of cyanogen (CN) gas surrounding the object. Cyanogen gas is often associated with the sublimation of water ice, leading the researchers to conclude that 3I/ATLAS is exhibiting water activity.
The detection of water activity in 3I/ATLAS is significant because it provides insights into the conditions present in the object’s home star system. The presence of water indicates that the object formed in a relatively cold environment, where water ice can exist.
Furthermore, the researchers found that 3I/ATLAS is disintegrating due to the heat from the sun. This disintegration is causing the release of dust and gas, including water vapour, into space. The team’s observations showed that the rate of dust and gas release increased in the months leading up to April 2020, when the object made its closest approach to the sun. This suggests that the heat from the sun is causing the object to break apart.
The discovery of water activity in 3I/ATLAS not only provides valuable insights into the conditions in other star systems, but also contributes to our understanding of how comets and other small bodies in our own solar system behave. Future observations of interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS could reveal even more about the composition and characteristics of these distant visitors.
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