3I/ATLAS: Tails of an Interstellar Comet

Explanation: How typical is our Solar System? Studying 3I/ATLAS , a comet just passing through, is providing clues. Confirmed previous interstellar visitors include an asteroid , a comet , a meteor , and a gas wind dominated by hydrogen and helium. Comet 3I/ATLAS appears relatively normal when compared to Solar System comets , therefore providing more evidence that our Solar System is a somewhat typical star system. For example, Comet 3I/ATLAS has a broadly similar chemical composition and ejected dust . The featured image was captured last week from Texas and shows a green coma , a wandering blue-tinted ion tail likely deflected by our Sun's wind , and a slight anti-tail , all typical cometary attributes. The comet, visible with a telescope , passed its closest to the Sun in late October and will pass its closest to the Earth in mid-December, after which it will return to interstellar space and never return.

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