An interstellar comet passing through the solar system contains a surprising mix of chemicals, findings that could help researchers learn more about how planets and stars form elsewhere in the galaxy.
Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third confirmed object from outside the solar system that was discovered in July by a Nasa-funded telescope in Chile, following the discovery of ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.
Astronomers have been able to photograph and analyse 3I/ATLAS’s composition in greater detail, thanks to follow up observations by Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.
Dr Richard Leveille, a planetary scientist at McGill University in Canada, said the comet’s chemical make-up is different to those found in the solar system.
“For example, it appears to have abundant nickel, but not much iron,” Dr Leveille told The National, who is also a participating scientist at Nasa.
“This is a bit surprising as these two elements are often found together, such as in cores of rocky planets or metallic meteorites.
“Perhaps more surprisingly, it is much enriched in carbon dioxide compared to water. Again, this is different from comets in our solar system that have more water than CO2.”
He said scientists are still unsure of what these differences mean, and the results are preliminary.
But it could be that they indicate the planetary-star system where the comet originates from is “so different” to ours that it leads to this unusual chemical composition.
Dr Dimitra Atri, principal investigator at NYU Abu Dhabi’s space exploration laboratory, said researchers often study comets closer to home because they could reveal clues of the early Solar System.
“These bodies preserve records of early solar system processes erased on Earth by tectonic activity and weathering,” he told The National.
“Asteroids and comets, remnants of the solar system’s formation, contain pristine materials that likely delivered water and organics to Earth.
“Analysing them helps reconstruct early Earth conditions and informs predictive climate models, including potential geoengineering solutions.”
Researchers now have a rare opportunity to study comets like 3I/ATLAS that could reveal more details on other star systems.
Dr Leveille said more information about the composition of the comet could help scientists compare the solar system to other ones in the galaxy.
“More detailed analyses and study of this comet, along with studies of other interstellar comets, will no doubt tell us about the diversity of planetary systems and the ranges of conditions that can be found beyond our solar system,” he said.
“Already, studies of exoplanets are showing us that our solar system is different in many ways from many other planetary systems.”
'Oumuamua, the first known object from interstellar space, was discovered travelling through the solar system in 2017. This image is an artist's impression. Photo: Nasa
Some planetary systems, for example, orbit two or more stars, unlike our solar system which has only one, the Sun.
This means planets there experience very different conditions from what we see on Earth.
Dr Leveille said improvements in technologies and “a bit of luck” are helping to spot these objects as they are very far from Earth.
“Future observatories will likely find more of them. The new Vera Rubin Observatory is predicted to find several interstellar object every year of its operation,” he said.
“The more interstellar objects we find and study, the more we will be able to say about the origins and evolution of our own solar system and be able to assess the diversity of planetary systems elsewhere in our galaxy.
“How unique is our solar system? What does it take for planets to be habitable? How does that relate to the possibility of life elsewhere? With more discoveries of interstellar objects, we will be closer to answer these questions.”
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
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Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
