Bold statements in the world of astronomy are seldom made, but when it comes to avowedly provocative statements, it seems that Harvard’s Avi Loeb had no hesitation in saying, “There are too many factors surrounding 3I/ATLAS that scientists have yet to explain to simply dismiss the object as an ordinary comet.” These words seem even more profound in light of NASA’s MAVEN’s sudden loss of contact just days after it observed the mysterious interstellar visitor.
MAVEN, which stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, has been orbiting Mars since September 2014, examining the upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and the processes of gas removal by the solar wind. During its successful decade-long mission, it has made precise maps of the atmospheric removal processes, including direct observation of the process of “sputtering,” where atoms are removed by energetic particles, which occurs four times faster than predicted rates during solar storms. The satellite also acted as a communication relay for communication with the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. However, on December 4, when it came out of occultation, or hiding, behind Mars to communicate with Earth to report its observations of 3I/ATLAS, it lost communication with Earth. A trail of tracking information was pieced back together two days later to show that MAVEN had begun to favor an unexpected plane of rotation and had altered its orbit, which was an indication of an “energetic event,” possibly a propellant line or propellant tank failure.
This occurred following MAVEN’s close approach to 3I/ATLAS in October, in which it was as close as 18 million miles away. Pictures were taken, provoking debate regarding their poor quality; this led to several claims being made regarding NASA’s possible concealment of better images. However, Loeb highlights the fact that some images have been made public; yet it is not certain how many images the spacecraft held at the time it went dark. While NASA and ESA claim that 3I/ATLAS comprises a comet in a distant planetary system, more than a dozen oddities have been identified by a team led by Loeb, including an anti-tail feature, a dust stream oriented towards the sun rather than away from it. An anti-tail in a comet’s physics relates to the position of the observation in relation to dust particles traced along the orbit of the comet; yet in this instance, it may be linked to the propulsion circuit leading the object.
3I/ATLAS itself is a prize discovery in scientific research. It is only the third major interstellar object found in the past 200 years, following 1I/‘Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. Scientists believe that this object was born in the far-off, icy parts of another star’s protoplanetary disk and kicked out of there by a gravitational slingshot from a giant exoplanet. Analyzing photographs taken at the Gemini North telescope in late November, researchers found that this comet’s color had changed from that of a reddish object to that of a green object, which scientists attributed to the release of diatomic carbon gas C₂ stimulated by starlight, which energizes material that escapes from this object’s nucleus. Even more remarkably, X-ray observations made by ESA’s XMM-Newton space observatory demonstrated that this object actually interacted with solar wind, which had never been seen in passing comets 1I/‘Oumuamua or 2I/Borisov
It’ll come closest to Earth on the 19th of December, at 170 million miles, which happens at the same time as the new moon, so the darkness makes it ideal viewing for amateur astronomers, Loeb clarified. However, he promptly added, But let’s remember that “there are hundreds of observatories around the globe that will observe it”. So the idea that any data is being suppressed just doesn’t make sense. This text is also the center point of the biggest planetary defense exercise in history, which includes the participation of more than 23 countries. ESA’s “Meerkat” Warning Scheme and “Aegis” Long Term Risk Predictor will evaluate the high speed approach of 3IA/ATLAS using data gathered by both Earth-based telescopes in Hawaii, Chile, and Australia, as well as orbiting spacecraft at Mars and Jupiter, according to the Earthlink article. This triangulation provides an accurate orbit assessment, ruling out Earth impact while preparing the world for potential risks like the asteroid Apophis in 2029.
The absence of MAVEN makes the observation of 3I/ATLAS even more difficult for NASA, which must depend entirely on the Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter of the European Space Agency. At the same time, the mission to study 3I/ATLAS is complicated by an upcoming solar conjunction in the coming month of January, when the planet Mars is expected to hide behind the Sun, making radio signals undetectable for a period of weeks. Whether the problem of MAVEN is a matter of engineering incompetence or the unexpected effect of the mission’s observation of 3I/ATLAS, the occurrence has certainly added intrigue to the study of this rare interstellar visitor.
