3I/ATLASEvidence
Evidence · 3I/ATLAS
Polarisation unchanged across perihelion, fitted by porous aggregates
The negative polarisation branch reached -2.7 per cent at 7 degrees before perihelion and -2.9 per cent at 5.5 degrees after it, essentially unchanged, and both optical and near-infrared polarimetry are fitted by porous aggregates of sub-micron monomers.
What it means
Key questionWhat is 3I/ATLAS made of, and why is its chemistry so unlike a Solar System comet's?
No answer ahead yet
Openunchanged
Part of itWhat kind of dust gives 3I/ATLAS its unusually deep negative polarisation?
No answer ahead yet
Openwas No evidence yet
Answer this evidence bears onPorous aggregates of tiny, weakly absorbing grains
Supports1 for, none against
Still possiblewas No evidence yet
What it implies
- The dust's structure stayed the same while the gas changed completely.For: What kind of dust gives 3I/ATLAS its unusually deep negative polarisation?
- Fluffy, unprocessed dust fits a body that was never strongly heated.For the key question: What is 3I/ATLAS made of, and why is its chemistry so unlike a Solar System comet's?
Sources 3
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Polarisation unchanged across perihelion, fitted by porous aggregates [Evidence EVD0DFQ475QVY2W]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DFQ475QVY2W
@misc{mysteriesdept_evd0dfq475qvy2w,
title = {Polarisation unchanged across perihelion, fitted by porous aggregates},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Evidence, catalog key EVD0DFQ475QVY2W},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DFQ475QVY2W}
}