Jeddah Astronomy Society settles the truth about Comet 3I/ATLAS: Is it a spacecraft?
The Jeddah Astronomical Society has settled the debate surrounding the nature of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, refuting recent claims that it is a spacecraft or an artificial entity from another civilization. The society's president, Engineer Majid Abu Zahra, confirmed that these speculations lack any scientific basis, emphasizing that recent observational data unequivocally proves the cometary nature of this celestial object.
The reality of non-gravitational acceleration
Abu Zahra explained that the controversy stemmed from a misinterpretation of what is known as "non-gravitational acceleration" in comets, a natural and very common physical phenomenon in the world of comets. He pointed to a new scientific study published in the "Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society" that proved this acceleration is caused by the ejection of gas and ice from the comet's nucleus as it approaches the sun.
These gaseous emissions act as natural jet propulsors, similar in function to small rocket engines, resulting in a slight deviation in the comet's path from the orbit imposed by gravity alone. This behavior has been observed in hundreds of comets within our solar system and does not at all indicate the presence of intelligent technology.
Accurate observational evidence and decisive figures
The crucial study was based on high-precision astronomical measurements collected by NASA's Psyche spacecraft and the European Space Agency's Mars Trace Gas Orbiter. The results revealed a perfect match between the characteristics of 3I/ATLAS and those of conventional comets, with the comet's mass estimated at approximately 44 million metric tons and its radius ranging between 260 and 370 meters.
The observed non-gravitational acceleration was approximately 5 × 10⁻⁷ meters per second squared, a value that is entirely consistent with the observed carbon dioxide emission rates, thus negating the need to assume any "supernatural" or unnatural explanations.
Historical context: Visitors from outside the solar system
The discovery of comet 3I/Atlas is part of a recent series of discoveries of interstellar objects that have passed through our solar system. It was preceded by the famous object 1I/Oumuamua in 2017, which sparked considerable controversy due to its unusual shape and the lack of a clearly visible gaseous tail, and then by comet 2I/Borisov in 2019, which was a well-defined comet.
Unlike 'Oumuamua, which opened the door to the hypothesis of light sails due to the ambiguity of its properties, 3I/ATLAS shows clear gaseous activity that accurately explains its movement, making it closer in nature to Comet Borisov and to known local comets.
Scientific importance beyond imagination
Despite being denied the existence of a spacecraft, the scientific value of Comet 3I/ATLAS is undeniable. These objects from deep space act as "cosmic messengers," carrying physical samples from other star systems that formed around distant stars. Studying these objects offers scientists a rare opportunity to understand the chemical composition of other galactic regions and compare them to our own solar system, thus contributing to the development of our theories about planet formation and the evolution of life in the universe, without the need to send probes traversing impossible distances to reach those stars.
