Rare Interstellar Comet Blazes Through Our Solar System: What Astronomers Discovered

RIO HURTADO, Chile – Exciting news has emerged from the cosmos: astronomers have discovered an interstellar comet racing through our solar system. This comet, named 3I/ATLAS, is only the third known object to originate from outside the Sun’s gravitational pull.

3I/ATLAS was first spotted on July 1 by a NASA-funded telescope in Chile. At that time, it was about 420 million miles away, near Jupiter. Thankfully, this comet poses no danger to Earth or the Moon; it will remain at least 150 million miles away.

A space diagram hints at the comet’s path, showing it will glide between the orbits of Earth and Mars later in the year. However, due to the alignment of planets and the Sun, visibility will be challenging from September to November.

NASA explained, “Astronomers worldwide are currently investigating the comet’s size and other characteristics.” They expect it to continue observable from the ground until September, but then it’ll come too close to the Sun to track effectively. After passing near the Sun, it should re-emerge by early December, making it easier to study.

Since its initial detection, various telescopes—from Hawaii to South Africa—have captured images of 3I/ATLAS, which travels at an astonishing speed of over 130,000 miles per hour. Early estimates suggest it might be around 10 miles in diameter, though this number still needs confirmation due to limitations in observation techniques.

Typically, comets are small, icy bodies that can expand into massive tails as they approach the Sun. While the exact origin of 3I/ATLAS is unclear, such comets usually come from the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud, distant regions full of icy debris from the solar system’s formation.

High-powered telescopes can currently see the comet, but visibility is expected to improve as it draws closer to Earth. Experts remind us that the closest any recorded comet has come to Earth happened back in 1770 with Lexell’s Comet, which passed just 1.4 million miles away. This shows just how vast and sparsely populated our solar system really is.

For more insights on the topic of interstellar objects, check out this article from NASA.

Source link