US EditionComet 3I/ATLAS Displays Greenish Hue in New Gemini North Telescope Images
Images from Gemini North show 3I/ATLAS brightening with a green coma from diatomic carbon gas as it nears Earth, possibly leading to more bright outbursts, NSF NOIRLab said.
- On Nov. 26, Gemini North researchers imaged Comet 3I/ATLAS at Maunakea, Hawai‘i, showing the comet brightened after its closest approach to the Sun during one of its most active phases.
- Intense solar radiation is sublimating ices on 3I/ATLAS, spewing gas and dust that form a bright coma and tail recently.
- After viewing the comet through four filters—blue, red, orange and green—NSF NOIRLab researchers found diatomic carbon emits the coma's faint greenish hue.
- This coming week the comet reaches its closest encounter at about 170 million miles on Dec. 19, and dozens of observatories and spacecraft monitor possible bright outbursts.
- As an interstellar visitor, 3I/ATLAS is the third ever found, likely the largest and oldest, while its future behavior as it cools remains unknown after a Shadow the Scientists session led by Bryce Bolin.
13 Articles
13 Articles
The most recent and enigmatic visitor to our cosmic neighborhood began to transform its appearance before the lenses of the most powerful telescopes on Earth. Researchers from the National Science Foundation (NSF), who operate with the Gemini North telescope, detected a significant change in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS: the object, which previously showed a reddish hue, now shines with an intense green color.This chromatic change is not a si…
Comet 3I/ATLAS brightens and turns greener as Earth encounter approaches
New telescope images show interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS brightening and turning green after solar heating, raising questions about its chemistry and whether surprising outbursts may appear as it nears Earth soon.
Comet 3I/ATLAS displays greenish hue in new Gemini North telescope images
Gemini North captured new images of Comet 3I/ATLAS after it reemerged from behind the sun on its path out of the solar system. The data were collected during a Shadow the Scientists session—a unique outreach initiative that invites students around the world to join researchers as they observe the universe on the world's most advanced telescopes.
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