Astronomer explained the "heartbeat" of 3I/ATLAS flying towards Earth

Astronomer, popularizer of astronomy and cosmonautics Alexander Kiselyov explained the unusual phenomenon of the "heartbeat" of the 3I/ATLAS flying to Earth.

In conversation with aif.ru On Friday, December 5, the expert explained that the unusual behavior of the comet is due to its rotation and periodic loss of mass through multiple jets of gas, which NASA has already recorded in the images. As the comet approaches the Sun, the heated areas of its core begin to sublimate, especially those containing more volatile substances. The escaping gas forms directional jets, and the process occurs unevenly over the surface, which affects the dynamics of the object.

Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered in July 2025. It is moving towards Earth at high speed and on an atypical trajectory. Because of its strange behavior, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb even suggested that the object could be a UFO. In early December, new observations appeared: scientists reported that 3I/ATLAS destroys layer by layer, has perfectly formed rings and seems to "breathe", periodically releasing matter.

The closest approach of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to Earth is expected on December 19, 2025.

The expert spoke about the decline in geomagnetic activity

Earlier in the day, NASA released new images of the 3I/ATLAS interstellar object. The laboratory noticed that, despite the improved conditions for observations, it is not possible to consider significantly new elements due to the remoteness of the object. The new photos were taken from a distance of 286 million km, the website says. kp.ru .

On December 3, it was reported that the TESS space telescope had discovered the 3I/ATLAS interstellar object almost two months before its official registration by astronomers. The telescope recorded the movement of the object in the period from May 7 to June 2, 2025, that is, 55 days before the official announcement of the discovery, made on July 1, 2025, writes RT.

On December 1, it was reported that 3I/ATLAS began to pulsate strangely. The light coming from it showed pulsating variability with a period of 16.16 hours. 360.ru .

On November 29, Nathan Eismont, a leading researcher at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Associate Professor of Mechanics and Control Processes at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, said that the signals emitted by comet 3I/ATLAS confirm its natural origin. According to him, radio telescopes detected the object's radiation in the decimeter range at frequencies of 1665-1667 MHz. According to the expert, such signals are typical for star formation regions and for comets, writes NSN.

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