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A Spacecraft Could Explore 3I/ATLAS to Learn More About “Cosmic Noon”

The period known as “Cosmic Noon,” which took place roughly 2 to 3 billion years after the Big Bang, was characterized by the rapid formation of new stars and planetary systems. Naturally, objects dated to this period are coveted by scientists hoping to learn more about the processes that led to the formation of planets and the emergence of life itself. This includes asteroids and comets, which are known to be composed of material leftover from the formation of entire star systems and their planets. And with the detection of three interstellar objects (ISOs) in the Solar System since 2017, there could be multiple opportunities to do so.

This includes 3I/ATLAS, which was detected on July 1st by researchers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile. Since then, astronomers have conducted ongoing observations to learn as much as they can about this object before it is beyond the range of our telescopes. According to a new study by an international team of astrophysicists, several active missions could rendezvous with this object before it leaves the Solar System. Any one of these missions could provide detailed information on a period when star formation was prolific in our galaxy, and the building blocks of life likely emerged.

The research was led by T. Marshall Eubanks, the Chief Scientist at Space Initiatives Inc. He was joined by researchers from the Institute for Interstellar Studies (i4is), the Interdisciplinary Center for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) at the University of Luxembourg, the Laboratory for Instrumentation and Research in Astrophysics (LIRA) at the Observatiore de Paris, the French-Chilean Laboratory for Astronomy, the Technical University of Munich (TU Munich), and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The paper detailing their findings recently appeared online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vzafaw0t08

NASA: What We Know About Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vzafaw0t08)

Observations of 3I/ATLAS have already revealed much about the object’s trajectory, composition, and where it may have come from. The kinematics of the object revealed that it is likely to be an object from the galactic thick disk, where 85% of the stars in our galaxy are located. It is also where the oldest stars in the galaxy reside, most being older than 10 billion years, which means they formed during the “Galactic Noon” period. As co-author Andreas Hein, an Associate Professor of Space Systems Engineering at the SnT and the Executive Director and Chairman of the i4is Technical Research Committee, told Universe Today via email:

Stars in the galactic thick disk have formed billions of years earlier than those in the thin disk, which includes our Sun. If 3I has been ejected from a thick disk star system, it means that we could get insights into it without flying to it, something which we will not be able to do for the foreseeable future. Hence, observing 3I is a literal example of: If the prophet cannot go to the mountain, let the mountain come to the prophet.

As they explain, the formation of 3I in the thick disk can be tested observationally as it transits through the Solar System. If 3I can be traced to the galactic thick disk, it will provide a means to explore the formation process of stars and planets and the possible origins of life during this early period. However, 3I will reach its closest point to the Sun (perihelion) when Earth is on the opposite side, making observations using ground-based telescopes virtually impossible. This is unfortunate, since 3I will experience its most intense outgassing while at perihelion, and the composition of its tail will provide detailed information on its internal composition.

A mission that could study it up close would be able to obtain spectra from its outgassing before it is no longer observable. Eubanks and his colleagues theorize that 3I could have originated from the galactic thick disk because of its galactic orbit, as well as its velocity and direction, which takes it 3,000 light-years out of the galactic plane. Said Hein:

3I/ATLAS flew in from outside the solar system almost at the same angle as the solar system plane. This is surprising. The solar system is traveling through the Milky Way in a direction perpendicular to the plane of its planets. Now, you would expect that interstellar objects would fly into the solar system from that direction if they have similar trajectories as our Solar System. In other words, they would fly into the solar system at a steep angle to the Solar System plane. And in fact, this is exactly what we observed for the first two interstellar objects ‘Oumuamua and Borisov. They flew into the solar system at steep angles. What makes 3I/ATLAS unusual is that it flew in almost parallel to the plane of the Solar System.

The trajectory of 3I/ATLAS through the Solar System. Credit: NASA

“We seek to confirm this hypothesis through an analysis of 3I’s chemical nature. One prediction is that the planet formation would occur at a higher temperature in the ‘Cosmic Noon’ period, which makes 3I appear to be ‘dynamically old,’ with fewer easily evaporated supervolatiles,” Eubanks added. “Early indications are that 3I does appear to be dynamically old (unlike 2I/Borisov, which appeared to the dynamically new). It is much too early to say that this issue is resolved, but we are hopeful that it will be by the time all the 3I data is analyzed.”

Based on its trajectory, 3I is expected to pass inside the orbit of Mars, bringing it relatively close to several interplanetary spacecraft that have already launched. To determine which could conduct observations of this ISO, the team examined 15 missions in heliocentric orbits or currently active around Mars. Of these, they found that the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and the ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), which could view 3I with their instruments on October 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Tianwen-1 and Hope also present opportunities for observations.

The ESA’s JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) and NASA’s Europa Clipper and Psyche will also be in a good position to conduct observations for even longer. Said Eubanks:

During the JUICE spacecraft close approach (a period near 3I’s perihelion when it will be hard to observe from Earth), the Juice spacecraft will observe 3I with five of its instruments November 2-25, 2025, just after 3I’s perihelion, including its closest approach on November 4, while the Europa Clipper will use its magnetometer and plasma instruments to observe possible passages through 3I’s cometary tail, more or less continuously from now into November. In addition, several solar observatories and probes will attempt remote monitoring of 3I from late October through mid-November 2025, as it passes through their instrumental fields of view (FOV).

While none of the missions profiled allow for a direct intercept with the interstellar comet, some of the spacecraft may pass through the tail before it is beyond our reach. For instance, the Europa Clipper, Hera, and even the more distant Lucy spacecraft may pass through 3I’s cometary tail in the period after its perihelion passage, potentially directly observing the conditions and composition there. “Finally, three heliophysics space observatories (SOHO, Solar Orbiter, and the Parker Solar Probe) will have 3I pass through their instruments’ fields of view (FOV) in this period; the Parker Solar Probe and even the solar coronagraphs may be able to monitor 3I at intervals in the period from late September through mid-November in 2025,” said Hein.

The Gemini South Observatory captured this image of the interstellar comet 3L/ATLAS on August 27th. It shows the object’s fuzzy coma and tail, made of volatiles released by the Sun’s heat. Image Credit: By International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientist, CC BY 4.0

Above all, the observations these missions could perform would yield data that is impossible to obtain using Earth-based instruments. Even when Earth observations are possible, the different angles of the different spacecraft will provide valuable data on the nature of the dust and ejecta from 3I. In addition to testing the thick disk origin of this latest ISO, these observations could also confirm how hot its formation region was by analyzing the spectra emissions of its gas and dust tail and the rate of outgassing. All this information would shed light on star systems that existed at a crucial time in cosmic history.

The team also notes that while astronomers will benefit from a combination of Earth and space-based observations, the spacecraft they considered would provide the only source of spectral and imaging data during the 3I perihelion passage. More information is expected shortly, thanks to images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and other observations. However, spacecraft currently operational in deep space could provide some of the most important data yet. “If 3I is really from the thick disk, it may be one of the oldest objects we have ever observed in the solar system,” said Andreas. “It is like an eon-old fridge, which will open during the next months to release some of its content.”

Further Reading: arXiv

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Empathy is the only way forward after Charlie Kirk’s death

It wasn’t the greeting I was expecting from my dad when I stopped by for lunch Wednesday at his Anaheim home.

“¿Quién es Charlie Kirk?”

Papi still has a flip phone, so he hasn’t sunk into an endless stream of YouTube and podcasts like some of his friends. His sources of news are Univisión and the top-of-the-hour bulletins on Mexican oldies stations — far away from Kirk’s conservative supernova.

“Some political activist,” I replied. “Why?”

“The news said he got shot.”

Papi kept watering his roses while I went on my laptop to learn more. My stomach churned and my heart sank as graphic videos of Kirk taking a bullet in the neck while speaking to students at Utah Valley University peppered my social media feeds. What made me even sicker was that everyone online already thought they knew who did it, even though law enforcement hadn’t identified a suspect.

Conservatives blamed liberalism for demonizing one of their heroes and vowed vengeance. Some progressives argued that Kirk had it coming because of his long history of incendiary statements against issues including affirmative action, trans people and Islam. Both sides predicted an escalation in political violence in the wake of Kirk’s killing — fueled by the other side against innocents, of course.

It was the internet at its worst, so I closed my laptop and checked on my dad. He had moved on to cleaning the pool.

“So who was he?” Papi asked again. By then, Donald Trump had announced Kirk’s death. Text messages streamed in from my colleagues. I gave my dad a brief sketch of Kirk’s life, and he frowned when I said the commentator had supported Trump’s mass deportation dreams.

Hate wasn’t on Papi’s mind, however.

“It’s sad that he got killed,” Papi said. “May God bless him and his family.”

“Are politics going to get worse now?” he added.

It’s a question that friends and family have been asking me ever since Kirk’s assassination. I’m the political animal in their circles, the one who bores everyone at parties as I yap about Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom while they want to talk Dodgers and Raiders. They’re too focused on raising families and trying to prosper in these hard times to post a hot take on social media about political personalities they barely know.

They’ve long been over this nation’s partisan divide, because they work and play just fine with people they don’t agree with. They’re tired of being told to loathe someone over ideological differences or blindly worship a person or a cause because it’s supposedly in their best interests. They might not have heard of Kirk before his assassination, but they now worry about what’s next — because a killing this prominent is usually a precursor of worse times ahead.

I wasn’t naive enough to think that the killing of someone as divisive as Kirk would bring Americans together to denounce political terrorism and forge a kinder nation. I knew that each side would embarrass itself with terrible takes and that Trump wouldn’t even pretend to be a unifier.

But the collective dumpster fire we got was worse than I had imagined.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with moderator Charlie Kirk

Although conservatives brag that no riots have sparked, as happened after George Floyd’s murder in 2020, they’re largely staying silent as the loudest of Kirk’s supporters vow to crush the left once and for all. The Trump administration is already promising a crackdown against the left in Kirk’s name, and no GOP leaders are complaining. People are losing their jobs because of social media posts critical of Kirk, and his fans are cheering the cancel cavalcade.

Meanwhile, progressives are flummoxed by the right, yet again. They can’t understand why vigils nationwide for someone they long cast as a white nationalist, a fascist and worse are drawing thousands. They’re dismissing those who attend as deluded cultists, hardening hearts on each side even more. They’re posting Kirk’s past statements on social media as proof that they’re correct about him — but that’s like holding up a sheet of paper to dam the Mississippi.

I hadn’t paid close attention to Kirk, mostly because he didn’t have a direct connection to Southern California politics. I knew he had helped turn young voters toward Trump, and I loathed his noxious comments that occasionally caught my attention. I appreciated that he was willing to argue his views with critics, even if his style was more Cartman from “South Park” (which satirized Kirk’s college tours just weeks ago) than Ronald Reagan versus Walter Mondale.

I understand why his fans are grieving and why opponents are sickened at his canonization by Trump, who seems to think that only conservatives are the victims of political violence and that liberals can only be perpetrators. I also know that a similar thing would happen if, heaven forbid, a progressive hero suffered Kirk’s tragic end — way too many people on the right would be dancing a jig and cracking inappropriate jokes, while the left would be whitewashing the sins of the deceased.

We’re witnessing a partisan passion play, with the biggest losers our democracy and the silent majority of Americans like my father who just want to live life. Weep or critique — it’s your right to do either. But don’t drag the whole country into your culture war. Those who have navigated between the Scylla and Charybdis of right and left for too long want to sail to calmer waters. Turning Kirk’s murder into a modern-day Ft. Sumter when we aren’t even certain of his suspected killer’s motives is a guarantee for chaos.

I never answered my dad’s question about what’s next for us politically. In the days since, I keep rereading what Kirk said about empathy. He derided the concept on a 2022 episode of his eponymous show as “a made-up, new age term that … does a lot of damage.”

Kirk was wrong about many things, but especially that. Empathy means we try to understand each other’s experiences — not agree, not embrace, but understand. Empathy connects us to others in the hope of creating something bigger and better.

It’s what allows me to feel for Kirk’s loved ones and not wish his fate on anyone, no matter how much I dislike them or their views. It’s the only thing that ties me to Kirk — he loved this country as much as I do, even if our views about what makes it great were radically different.

Preaching empathy might be a fool’s errand. But at a time when we’re entrenched deeper in our silos than ever, it’s the only way forward. We need to understand why wishing ill on the other side is wrong and why such talk poisons civic life and dooms everyone.

Kirk was no saint, but if his assassination makes us take a collective deep breath and figure out how to fix this fractured nation together, he will have truly died a martyr’s death.

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Britain Hates Trump. But It Quite Likes Trumpism.

Across the pond, the president’s hard-right nativism is flourishing.

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Trump signs memo sending federal law enforcement to join Tennessee National Guard in Memphis

Washington — President Trump signed a presidential memorandum Monday mobilizing federal law enforcement agents to Memphis, Tennessee, as a part of a task force that will include the Tennessee National Guard, the latest planned Guard deployment in his effort to combat crime in U.S. cities.

“The effort will include the National Guard as well as the FBI, ATF, DEA, ICE, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S, Marshals,” the president said Monday, adding that the task force will be a “replica” of the efforts in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Trump said he went ahead with the memo “at the request” of Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who was in the Oval Office for the signing. Specifically, the memo directs the defense secretary to ask the governor to make the Tennessee National Guard available to help federal law enforcement.

“They’re a volunteer state,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday. “We’re not going to have any problems with the Tennessee National Guard.”

The move makes Memphis the third city to see National Guard troops on its streets under Mr. Trump’s presidency, following deployments in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., earlier this year.

“We’re going to be doing Chicago probably next,” the president said Monday, adding that “we’re going to wait a little while” before going into the country’s third-largest city.

The president said St. Louis may also be a city that will see a federal law enforcement presence.

“We have to save St. Louis. We have to save Chicago,” he said in the Oval Office on Monday.

Mr. Trump has said authorities will “straighten out” Memphis. The president said a person is four times more likely to be killed in Memphis than Mexico City.

On Sunday, the president wrote on Truth Social that federal law enforcement has been on the ground in Memphis for the last five months, but “the real work by us has barely begun.”

“The only reason crime is somewhat down in Memphis is because the FBI, and others in the Federal Government, at my direction, have been working there for 5 months – on the absolutely terrible Crime numbers,” he wrote. “Likewise, in Chicago and Los Angeles! But the real work by us has barely begun. That happens after we make the official announcement that WE’RE COMING, and when we do that, as we did in now VERY SAFE WASHINGTON, D.C., the no crime ‘miracle’ begins. ONLY I CAN SAVE THEM!!!”

While some governors have shunned the idea of the National Guard posting up in their cities, Lee has been open to the idea of the National Guard deploying in his state. Lee said he’s been in “constant communication” with the Trump administration for months on an anti-crime plan, and the “next phase will include a comprehensive mission with the Tennessee National Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Memphis Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies.”

Democratic Memphis Mayor Paul Young said in a press conference that he didn’t ask for the National Guard to come, but he’ll work with them to “strategize on how they engage in this community.”

The president’s decision to send more than 2,000 National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area this spring prompted an ongoing legal fight. A federal judge ruled earlier this month that the deployment violated a federal law that prohibits the use of the military for law enforcement actions on U.S. soil.

In Washington, hundreds of National Guard troops have been patrolling streets and cleaning up the city in “beautification” efforts since Mr. Trump ordered their deployment over the summer. The troops are not engaged in law enforcement functions, but their presence coincided with the president federalizing the local police force and surging federal agents into the capital to crack down on crime.

The president has floated other cities that could be the next target of his campaign against urban crime, including Chicago, New York and San Francisco. But he has also said he wants governors and residents of cities to support the presence of troops and law enforcement.

Illinois officials have made it clear they don’t want the National Guard there.

“We don’t need or want you here, Donald,” said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently wrote in the New York Times that “[s]ending in the National Guard is the wrong solution to a real problem.”

Kathryn Watson

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.