Overview
- Astronomers using South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope reported OH absorption lines from 3I/ATLAS on October 24, a first radio detection consistent with water sublimation and posted on The Astronomer’s Telegram, with full peer review pending.
- Fresh post-perihelion imagery from November 8–9 shows a complex multi‑jet structure, including anti‑tails, with jets stretching roughly 620,000 miles sunward and about 1.86 million miles anti‑sunward in separate features.
- JPL has flagged a small non‑gravitational acceleration in the object’s trajectory, a common sign of outgassing, as it remains on a safe course with closest Earth approach on December 19 at about 269 million kilometers.
- Some researchers, notably Avi Loeb, propose the object fragmented near perihelion to explain the apparent surge in mass loss, while suggestions of artificial propulsion remain speculative and unsupported by direct evidence.
- Hubble, Webb and coordinated ground campaigns plan follow‑ups as 3I/ATLAS brightens post‑perihelion, with continued monitoring expected to clarify its integrity and the drivers of its unusual jet activity.