Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known and fastest interstellar object to fly across the Solar System, is at it again. The latest oddity shown by this comet is how it is spewing dust. As they get closer to the Sun, comets typically release a tail of gas and dust and a second tail of ions. Comet 3I’s tail is still pretty weak – understandable since it’s still pretty far away – but it is spewing a lot of dust. However, this ejecta is not being released behind it as it goes, but in the direction of the Sun. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Comets are icy, made up of frozen gas, rock, and dust, hence their nickname "dirty snowballs". As they get closer to the Sun, their surface begins to sublimate – going from solid to gas – and fo

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