An interstellar object currently moving through our solar system has been spotted changing and doing something rather bizarre as it gets closer to the Sun.
The space object 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object we've managed to observe passing through our little corner of the galaxy, and it's come a long way to get here.
NASA say they think this interstellar object is a comet and we've had a good look at it while it continues on its journey, though the closest it'll get to Earth is around 170 million miles away, while it'll end up coming within 130 million miles on 30 October this year.
We're getting a good look at it while we can, as the closer it gets to the Sun, the harder it becomes to see, until we won't be able to get another look for a while.
Advert
3I/ATLAS will make a return to our sight at around December, but for now, scientists have been studying it using our series of telescopes.
On 27 August, the Gemini South telescope spotted that the interstellar object has a large, growing tail, which is longer than previous images had suggested.
According to The Sky At Night, experts say this means the object is becoming more active as it moves through the solar system, with the ice and dust around it heating up as it gets closer to the Sun.
The scientists have observed that if this is a comet, then it's acting like the ones which form within our own system, which helps researchers learn how similar interstellar objects can be to more local phenomena.
Advert
However, that same guy who keeps suggesting it might be an alien spacecraft has now indicated that 3I/ATLAS is doing something else strange, as he says it's growing an 'anti-tail' pointing in the direction of the Sun.
Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb has repeatedly raised the possibility that the interstellar object could be an alien threat, although he has left that option open rather than jumping into the idea wholeheartedly.
"The anti-tail is an extension of the glow of scattered sunlight around 3I/ATLAS towards the Sun and not away from it - as typically the case for comets," Loeb wrote.
"This anomalous anti-tail, not a result of geometric perspective, had never been reported before for solar system comets."
Advert
While much about the interstellar object resembles comets from our own system, this 'anti-tail' would appear to be a different and strange feature.
Loeb also added that this one was behaving differently from the two previous interstellar objects that had moved through the solar system as well.
It's a very exciting time for scientists when they get to see something very new.
Joe Harker