{"id":8016,"date":"2025-08-25T20:06:33","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T20:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/?p=8016"},"modified":"2025-11-06T18:51:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T18:51:38","slug":"a-glimpse-of-3i-atlas-with-oma500","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/a-glimpse-of-3i-atlas-with-oma500\/","title":{"rendered":"A glimpse of 3I\/ATLAS with OMA500"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"8016\" class=\"elementor elementor-8016\" data-elementor-settings=\"{&quot;ha_cmc_init_switcher&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ddd3f9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2ddd3f9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ef6d1e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3ef6d1e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.20.0 - 13-03-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>Since its discovery in July 2025, the interstellar object named 3I\/ATLAS has sparked excitement among the cometary research groups across the world. Here, at the IEA, our astronomers have begun tracking the interstellar object with the <b>OMA500 telescope <\/b>\u2014 a <b>50cm optical telescope<\/b> located at the<b> El Sauce Observatory<\/b> in Chile\u2019s Rio Hurtado Valley. The IEA observers include <b>Prof. Bin Yang<\/b>, and PhD students <b>Prachi Chavan, Tatevik Mkrtchyan, and Javiera Espinoza<\/b>, joined by Masters student <b>Gabriel Pichihueche<\/b> from Pontificia Universidad Cat\u00f3lica de Valpara\u00edso (PUCV).<\/p><p>Before diving into why this object is special, we must first look at the (rather short) history of observed interstellar objects \u2014 a history of only two confirmed so far \u2014 <b>1I\/Oumuamua (2017)<\/b>, and<b> 2I\/Borisov (2019)<\/b>. Six years later, the third interstellar object 3I\/ATLAS has joined their ranks, first detected by the <b>ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System)<\/b> survey in Chile. 3I is unique due to its hyperbolic orbit, with an eccentricity of about 6 \u2014 a clear signature that this is not an object from within the confines of our Solar System, where comets traversing the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud follow parabolic orbits with much lower eccentricities.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a167a6c elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"a167a6c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;hosted&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;play_on_mobile&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;loop&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.20.0 - 13-03-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-video .elementor-widget-container{overflow:hidden;transform:translateZ(0)}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper{aspect-ratio:var(--video-aspect-ratio)}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper iframe,.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper video{height:100%;width:100%;display:flex;border:none;background-color:#000}@supports not (aspect-ratio:1\/1){.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper{position:relative;overflow:hidden;height:0;padding-bottom:calc(100% \/ var(--video-aspect-ratio))}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper iframe,.elementor-widget-video .elementor-wrapper video{position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0}}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-open-inline .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay{position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;background-size:cover;background-position:50%}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay{cursor:pointer;text-align:center}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay:hover .elementor-custom-embed-play i{opacity:1}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay img{display:block;width:100%;aspect-ratio:var(--video-aspect-ratio);-o-object-fit:cover;object-fit:cover;-o-object-position:center center;object-position:center center}@supports not (aspect-ratio:1\/1){.elementor-widget-video .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay{position:relative;overflow:hidden;height:0;padding-bottom:calc(100% \/ var(--video-aspect-ratio))}.elementor-widget-video .elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay img{position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0}}.elementor-widget-video .e-hosted-video .elementor-video{-o-object-fit:cover;object-fit:cover}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-video,.e-con>.elementor-widget-video{width:var(--container-widget-width);--flex-grow:var(--container-widget-flex-grow)}<\/style>\t\t<div class=\"e-hosted-video elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<video class=\"elementor-video\" src=\"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3iIATLAS.mp4\" autoplay=\"\" loop=\"\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\" controlsList=\"nodownload\"><\/video>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73d20e8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73d20e8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 700;\">Catch a brief glimpse of 3I\/ATLAS:<\/span>&nbsp;This video shows the tracking of 3I on August 19, observed with the&nbsp;<i>g<\/i>,&nbsp;<i>r<\/i>, and&nbsp;<i>i<\/i>&nbsp;filters of OMA500. The video was combined from 10 individual exposures in each filter (each exposure for 150 seconds), created by Prachi Chavan and Tatevik Mkrtchyan.&nbsp;<b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b style=\"font-style: inherit;\">So why is the IEA tracking 3I?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs of this moment, the nucleus and a bit of the coma of the object are visible. When 3I approaches its closest point to the Sun, the perihelion, at the end of October, it would probably undergo its peak activity event: the comet\u2019s nucleus heats up and vaporizes, releasing gases and dust that form a distinct coma and tail,\u201d explains Prachi Chavan, a PhD student specializing in Solar System objects at the IEA. \u201cBy monitoring this cometary activity over time, we can watch as the coma gets bigger and the tail gets longer, allowing us to see outgassing and its evolution\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter it crosses the perihelion, it continues on its hyperbolic journey, never to be seen again. Comets are visible to us in such fleeting moments, more so with rare interstellar objects that are discovered by chance. This makes cometary science studies once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in many cases, which is why we would like to make use of our resources to track 3I\u2019s cometary activity\u201d, she remarks. She also highlights the importance of research on interstellar cometary objects, considering their pristine nature: \u201cComets in general are imprinted with the early Solar System information. Comparing their properties with the comets of our own Solar System gives us insight into our origins and potentially the origins of other planetary systems. For instance, if we find shared characteristics and properties, it could indicate the possibility of similar Solar Systems beyond ours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\">The first scientific article published on 3I\/ATLAS on the Astrophysical Journal Letters (ApJL), co-authored by Prof. Bin Yang, can be read <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/article\/10.3847\/2041-8213\/adf49a\" style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; background-color: rgb(26, 26, 26);\">here<\/a><span style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\">. In another supporting <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2507.14916\" style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; background-color: rgb(26, 26, 26);\">article<\/a><span style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\">, her team finds that 3I shows a composition similar to some meteorites based on near-infrared observations using IRTF.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d81d05c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d81d05c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8960e48 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8960e48\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.20.0 - 13-03-2024 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">By: <i>Keerthana Jegatheesan<\/i><br><br><i>PhD program alumnus<\/i><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since its discovery in July 2025, the interstellar object named 3I\/ATLAS has sparked excitement among the cometary research groups across the world. Here, at the IEA, our astronomers have begun tracking the interstellar object with the OMA500 telescope \u2014 a 50cm optical telescope located at the El Sauce Observatory in Chile\u2019s Rio Hurtado Valley. The &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/a-glimpse-of-3i-atlas-with-oma500\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">A glimpse of 3I\/ATLAS with OMA500<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"categories":[1,13],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8016"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8333,"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8016\/revisions\/8333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronomia.udp.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}