Astrophysicist claims interstellar object 3I/ATLAS could have the power to create planets

by

Astronomers are excited about the recent discovery of 3I/ATLAS, a strange object from outside our solar system that’s now passing through. Scientists have proposed a new idea: this object might actually play a role in the formation of planets.

Unlike asteroids which orbit the Sun, comet 3I/ATLAS came from far beyond our solar system and will eventually head back out into space. Its surprisingly bright glow and fast spin have led to some wild guesses, including the idea that it might be a spacecraft from another world. What makes it even stranger is that it doesn’t just reflect sunlight like normal comets – it seems to generate its own light, making people wonder if it has some kind of built-in power source.

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna and Harvard scientist Avi Loeb recently requested that NASA observe the comet 3I/ATLAS as it nears the Sun around Halloween, due to concerns it might release small probes heading towards Earth. While NASA has dismissed the idea of an invasion, another scientist suggests these objects could serve a different, more natural purpose in space.

3I/ATLAS could be jumpstarting planet creation

During the Europlanet Science Congress, Professor Susanne Pfalzner from Forschungszentrum Jülich shared research indicating that interstellar objects could potentially help form planets. Her work suggests these objects, once captured by the disks of gas and dust surrounding young stars, might act as building blocks for new planetary systems.

According to Pfalzner, the vast emptiness of space contains the building blocks – essentially, seeds – needed to create new planets.

Planets usually form when tiny particles gradually stick together over millions of years. However, when objects the size of boulders collide, they often bounce off each other or break apart, making it hard to explain how massive planets like Jupiter formed so quickly. New models by Pfalzner suggest that capturing interstellar objects-those from outside our solar system-could solve this problem. These objects could act as a large, solid core, allowing material to accumulate and build a planet much faster.

This idea also explains why large gas planets often orbit massive stars. Normally, the disks of gas and dust around these stars don’t last long enough for giant planets to form. However, if planets start forming from materials already present between stars, it could significantly speed up the process, allowing Jupiter-sized worlds to develop much faster.

According to Pfalzner, objects from outside our solar system could potentially kickstart the creation of planets, especially around larger stars.

More massive stars are better at pulling in objects from outside our solar system into the disks around them. This means planets, especially large ones, could form more quickly around these stars by incorporating those captured objects. This rapid planet formation actually matches what astronomers have seen happening.

It’s important to remember this is just a theory. NASA insists 3I/ATLAS is a regular comet, not an alien spacecraft. However, as it gets closer this fall, it’s still generating discussion among scientists and fueling imaginations about what it could be.

NASA is currently investigating a fascinating new clue in the search for life beyond Earth. The Perseverance rover on Mars has found rocks with a distinctive, leopard-like pattern, and scientists believe these rocks might contain evidence of past life. According to NASA’s acting administrator, Sean Duffy, this is the most promising sign of life they’ve ever discovered on the red planet.

Read More

2025-09-22 23:19