'Anti-tail' of comet 3I/ATLAS spotted in images taken by astronomers
The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, likely a comet, has been putting on quite a show near the Sun. It suddenly got much brighter and started releasing gas at record rates. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb suspects it may have broken into over a dozen pieces.
Meanwhile, British astronomers Michael Buechner and Frank Niebling caught images of a giant "anti-tail" stretching toward the Sun and a smoky trail going the other way.
Closest approach to Earth on December 19
Loeb's analysis found that 3I/ATLAS lost mass way faster than typical comets—jumping from about 150kg per second in August to an incredible 4.4 million pounds per second near its closest point to the Sun, possibly because it split into at least 16 fragments.
With 3I/ATLAS speeding toward Earth for a close approach on December 19, scientists will have more opportunities to observe 3I/ATLAS as it approaches Earth on December 19.