An older comet that the sun has invaded the solar system. The old and reliable Hubble telescope already has photos

The veteran space telescope Hubble, With 35 years of service behind themcontinues to demonstrate that it is in full form. His last feat has been to capture the first clear image of 3i/Atlas, an interstellar kite that not only comes from outside our solar system, but seems to be older than the sun itself.

The interstellar object number three. 3i/Atlas is the third celestial body beyond the solar system that astronomers have detected on our neighborhood, after the mysterious Asteroid 1i/’Oumuamua In 2017 and the Gigantic Comet 2i/Borisov In 2019.

The images, taken on July 21 by NASA’s space telescope, offer a detailed first view of the new member of the club. The first alert was given by an astrophysic student nicknamed Astrafoxen In his bluesky profile: “There are many cosmic rays around, but the comet’s comma looks fantastic and bulky.” And indeed, even without processing, the images let a diffuse and active atmosphere intuit around the code core.

An unexpected composition. Scientists have already begun to reveal the secrets of the comet. A Preliminary study Based on previous images, he revealed that 3i/Atlas is an active interstellar kite that contains abundant water.

However, its cloud of dust looks more like that of type D asteroids: rocks full of silicates with organic molecules, carbon and water ice inside. The composition of the comet’s comma seems to be adjusted 70% to Tagish Lake Meteoritewith the remaining 30% in water ice grains.

An older cosmic fossil than the sun. Everything indicates that 3i/Atlas comes from a region of the Milky Way much older than ours. With an estimated age of 7,000 million years, compared to the 4.6 billion years of the solar system, this kite is a time capsule of an era before ours, which especially excites astronomers.

First detected on July 1, 2025 by the Atlas poll, the comet has become the priority objective of observatories around the world. One of those who will join the hunt is the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which with The world’s largest digital camera promises to find many of these invaders.

Images | Hubble (NASA), Gemini Observatory

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