Relevance: GS-3 (Space Technology, Astronomy); Source: LiveMint, Astronomical Survey Data

News 

Interstellar comet 3I/Atlas made its closest flyby to Earth on 19 December 2025, allowing global observatories to study a non-Solar System object passing through the inner Solar System.

What Makes 3I/Atlas Important? 

  • It is the third confirmed interstellar object after 1I/‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.
  • Its open hyperbolic trajectory proves it is not bound to the Sun—key criterion for identifying interstellar bodies.
  • Such objects carry primordial material from other star systems, offering clues to planet formation beyond the Solar System.

Scientific Significance

  • Helps study organic compounds, dust composition, and isotopic signatures unique to extra-solar environments.
  • Supports refinement of planetary defence tracking, especially for objects with non-predictable, non-elliptical paths.
  • Enhances understanding of stellar neighbourhood dynamics and interstellar medium interactions.
UPSC Value Box

Hyperbolic Orbit – An orbit with eccentricity greater than 1, indicating the object is travelling faster than solar escape velocity and will not return.

Institution:
International Astronomical Union (IAU) – Assigns designations like 1I, 2I, 3I for interstellar bodies and sets global naming/verification standards.

Q. With reference to interstellar objects, consider the following statements:

  1. They are identified primarily through their hyperbolic orbital paths.
  2. 3I/Atlas is the third interstellar object confirmed by the International Astronomical Union.
  3. All interstellar objects originate from within the Oort Cloud.

How many statements are correct?
A. One only
B. Two only
C. All three
D. None

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