3I/Atlas is only the third confirmed interstellar object we’ve observed after ʻOumuamua and Borisov. It’s CO₂-rich, hyperbolic, and passing through the inner solar system this year.
I’d like to open a focused discussion on the big questions:
– Could its composition (very high CO₂, low H₂O) tell us about planet formation in other star systems?
– How do we rule out or test artificial origin hypotheses?
– What would be the best way to send a probe or fast intercept mission?
– Could interstellar objects like this ever seed life between systems?
– What observations should we prioritize while it’s still close?sid