What defines the orbital path of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS?
Answer
Hyperbolic trajectory
The definitive characteristic confirming 3I/ATLAS's interstellar origin is its hyperbolic trajectory. In celestial mechanics, this specific path signifies that the object is moving at a velocity too high to be gravitationally captured or bound to the Sun. Consequently, the object is merely passing through the solar system briefly, having been influenced by the Sun's gravity for a short duration before being ejected back out into the vast interstellar medium, ensuring it will never return on a closed, predictable orbit like native Oort Cloud or Kuiper Belt comets.
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