3I/ATLAS

[UngainlyTitan]

I did skip a lot of the sciency parts of the video, but seem to get the Spock theory about it traveling too fast so it must be from out of the solar system and it is from an older part of the universe based on its direction, so it must be old like 7.6 billion years.

I do not get the part of it changing trajectory as stars and planets pull at it, but we know where it comes from. If this thing played pinball all over the universe being pulled about, wouldn't we only be able to guess where it can from last?

The too long didn't watch I got was that it is nothing much to see here and just another comet.

That is pretty much it. As far as I can tell projecting the trajectory back leads to nowhere in particular for a very long time and at that point the uncertainties prevent any clarity.

 

[Umbran]

If this thing played pinball all over the universe being pulled about, wouldn't we only be able to guess where it can from last?

The guess, as I understand it, is that it hasn't "pinballed" - the interactions it has had probably haven't made very large corrections to its path.

So, less pinball, more swapping lanes on a highway. You can still guess it came from further back on the highway.

The too long didn't watch I got was that it is nothing much to see here and just another comet.

Mostly, yeah. The details will be interesting to people really into the composition of space objects, but not really interesting to John Q Public.

 

[Hriston]

So it should be impacting our "Doppelgänger" (1969) any time now.

Not really. The closest it's supposed to get to the sun is about 1.4 AU, well outside Earth's orbit. I suppose we'll have to wait until we make contact in 2069 to find out what kind of observations (if any) are being made from our mirror image.

 

[Ryujin]

Not really. The closest it's supposed to get to the sun is about 1.4 AU, well outside Earth's orbit. I suppose we'll have to wait until we make contact in 2069 to find out what kind of observations (if any) are being made from our mirror image.

Pity. I was really hoping that it would take them out and eliminate that sanctimonious so-and-so Other Ryujin.

 

[Umbran]

Pity. I was really hoping that it would take them out and eliminate that sanctimonious so-and-so Other Ryujin.

You know, that's just what Other Ryujin said...

 

[Ryujin]

You know, that's just what Other Ryujin said...

He would, the damned grumblefarglerassenfrasen...