Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS to pass by Mars

Interstellar Object 3i/Atlas Observations - Astronomers observe 3i/Atlas exhibiting unusual chemical signatures, producing more nickel than iron, a phenomenon not yet understood [2] - Size estimates of 3i/Atlas are around 3 miles wide, compared to Manhattan's 2 miles at its widest point [2] - 3i/Atlas is moving at 60 km/s, 600 times faster than the fastest race car on Earth, making its speed anomalous [8] Mars Flyby and Imaging - A fleet of camera-ready rovers and orbiters are prepared to capture images of 3i/Atlas during its closest pass on October 3rd [3] - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter could provide a resolution of 30 kilometers per pixel, offering the best resolution of 3i/Atlas [5] Composition and Mass - Estimated minimum mass of 3i/Atlas is at least 33 billion tons, based on the lack of recoil as it sheds mass and nickel [6] - The object's trajectory aligns with the plane of the planets, which is difficult to explain naturally [7] Wow Signal Alignment - The direction of the Wow signal and 3i/Atlas align with a chance probability of 0.6% [13] - In 1977, 3i/Atlas was approximately three light-days away from the sun, requiring about a gigawatt (the output of a nuclear reactor) to produce the Wow signal [13][14] Potential Origin and Future Study - The object's anomalous nature raises the possibility, though less probable, that it could be technological rather than natural [7][8][15] - A proposal has been made to the United Nations to establish a committee to study interstellar objects detected by the Reuben Observatory in Chile [16]