Is anyone following 3I/Atlas?

[HBguy]

11. 3I/ATLAS reality check

OK, comet guy here. There really is a lot of nonsense going around about this object. Here's the scoop:

1) This is a totally natural comet, just like the thousands of other comets in our solar system, only this one comes from a planetary system somewhere else in the galaxy. That makes it an enormously interesting comet from a scientific perspective -- but that is ALL it is.

2) It comes nowhere near Earth (which is unfortunate, actually, since it would be quite a bit easier to study if it did). It will, however, come fairly close to Mars, and since we have spacecraft in orbit around that planet, there's hope that one or more of them will be able to collect useful observations of it.

3) It is NOT the "size of Manhattan." We're not sure of the size of the nucleus (since it's hidden in a coma of gas and dust, just like all other comets), but the latest data I've seen suggests a diameter of 1 to 5 km.

4) We astronomers are not "stunned" or "mystified" or any such thing . . . but we are, however, thrilled at the opportunity to study this object that originated somewhere else in the galaxy, and that hopefully will be able to provide some fascinating insights into the overall formation process of planetary systems (including ours).

5) Thus far, its motion has been entirely consistent with the known laws of physics, and there is absolutely no reason to suspect that it will deviate from that.

For what it's worth, I was one of the first astronomers to image this comet after it was discovered, and I continue to image it on a reasonably consistent basis.