NASA: 3I/ATLAS object demonstrated non-gravitational acceleration
The 3I/ATLAS object performed a maneuver as it approached the Sun, demonstrating the first evidence of non-gravitational acceleration, according to a report by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“The radial acceleration from the Sun is 135 kilometers (=9×10^{-7}AU) per day squared. The lateral acceleration relative to the direction of the Sun is 60 kilometers (=4×10^{-7}AU) per day squared,” the report says.
This unusual maneuver was recorded at a distance equivalent to 203 million kilometers.
As suggested by Avi Loeb, a scientist from Harvard University, an unknown force acted on the space object, which causes it to deviate from its trajectory as it approaches the Sun. At the same time, he suggested that ATLAS could be powered by jet propulsion.
If this is the case, the scientist explained, then the object will lose half of its mass in a certain period of time.
“Such a colossal mass loss should be detected in the form of a large gas plume surrounding 3I/ATLAS during the following months: November and December 2025,” he concluded.
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