The New York Post reports that 3I/ATLAS "is emitting a plume which contains four grams of nickel per second with no evidence of iron — unheard of in comets." "The end result," the article continues, "is an alloy called nickel tetracarbonyl, which has only ever been previously witnessed in human manufacturing, Harvard astrophysicist Dr. Avi Loeb told The Post." Okay, that is interesting, but this is what really got my attention: "The type of refined compound seen in 3I/ATLAS is used in metal coatings in manufacturing, including in the aerospace industry, to strengthen surface materials."
Odd, because they form together.
ReplyDeleteThe absence of the iron is what makes it so unusual.
DeleteThe tail is also continuing to point directly towards the sun as it gets closer. I wonder when they'll admit that it's not ice.
ReplyDelete