Report: Probes able to catch 3I/ATLAS’ Manhattan-sized tail, but time is running out

A pair of space probes sailing in The solar system may be able to pass through it The tail of a mysterious comet the size of Manhattan is hurtling towards Earth, but only if the scientists managing it act quickly to divert its path.

The two probes – Hera and Europa Clipper – are embarking on separate missions, but a new paper published in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society finds that they are fully prepared to visit the remnants of 3I/ATLAS spread across the solar system.

Both probes will fly “downwind” of 3I/ATLAS as they wander through the cosmic neighborhood in the next few weeks and leave a trail of particles in their wake. Live Science reportedThis gives researchers the opportunity to fly directly through the comet’s tail for the first time in history.

The tentacles will not fly Straight through the tailHowever, across a field whose particles are expected to be blasted into space by the solar wind.

This scattering field will be about 5 million miles away from the comet itself, but it will still be very close to the probe to collect invaluable information from the particles it leaves behind.

3I/ATLAS has left scientists scratching their heads since it was first discovered in June. Although few doubt that it is more than just a comet, its erratic behavior and composition have led some such as Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb to speculate that it could be an intelligently operated space probe.

It is expected to approach Earth by the end of October, but it will be hidden behind the Sun, and it is impossible for telescopes and ground cameras to be able to get a good look at it.

The object also ejects a nickel alloy that has only been found in human manufacture, and had previously fired an “anti-tail” from its front, which Loeb speculated might be some sort of “braking propulsion” system.

Hera and the Europa Clipper could be your best scientific bet for gathering information from the body.

But they will only be in it position over the next two weeksScientists will need to act immediately to send them on course to meet the comet’s tail, according to Live Science.

Hera might not even be able to provide much help. The probe is currently headed to study an asteroid and is not equipped with instruments that can read many 3I/ATLAS particles.

But Europa Clipper — which is on its way to analyze ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa — has exactly the kind of tools the mission requires.