Phys.org reported on Tuesday that the sun may have burned away several meters of material from 3I/ATLAS, an object described as an interstellar comet. According to the outlet, solar heating is the likely cause of the loss.
The report does not specify how much material was removed beyond the "meters" figure, nor does it give a timeline for when the loss may have occurred. No full article text was available beyond the headline and summary.
The finding points to the sun as an active force shaping the comet's surface. Because 3I/ATLAS is interstellar — meaning it did not form within our solar system — any material stripped from it would have originated elsewhere before being shed during its passage through our neighborhood. Phys.org's report frames the loss as a possibility rather than a confirmed measurement.
Comets are known to shed surface material as they approach the sun, though the summary does not state whether 3I/ATLAS is behaving as expected for such objects or whether the scale of loss is unusual. The report also does not address what, if anything, the lost material reveals about the comet's composition.
What to watch next: whether follow-up observations or a fuller study confirm the extent of the surface loss and clarify what it indicates about 3I/ATLAS's makeup.
