NASA revealed the latest close-up images on Wednesday of a rare interstellar comet known as 3I/ATLAS, which was named after the telescope in Chile that first spotted it, making a one-time journey through our solar system. One image shows the comet as it hurdles through space roughly 190 million miles away from Earth, which was reportedly captured from Manciano, Italy.
Discovered months ago
3I/ATLAS, first discovered in July, has now been photographed a number of times.
In August, cameras captured images of the comet as it was around 277 million miles away from Earth. About a month ago, photographs captured by a pair of Mars orbiters show the bright-tailed comet at an estimated distance of 18,641,135 miles away from the red planet.
A rare pass-through
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The last interstellar comet discovered before 3I/ATLAS was 2I/Borsov in 2019. It was only the second confirmed interstellar object detected at the time.
According to NASA, 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar comet confirmed to pass through Earth’s planetary system.
Astronomers say that the comet is visible from Earth just before dawn with the use of a telescope or binoculars, and it’s become a bit of a sensation, as noted by a NASA scientist.
“Everyone that is in control of a telescope wants to look at it because it’s a fascinating and rare opportunity,” NASA’s acting astrophysics director, Shawn Domagal-Goldman, told The Associated Press.
Closest approach to Earth comes in December
3I/ATLAS gets its closest to Earth during its pass through the solar system on Friday, Dec. 19, when it will come within roughly 170 million miles from our planet. That’s reportedly about twice the distance the Earth is from the sun.
NASA spacecraft will track the comet as it continues to move through the planetary system and crosses Jupiter’s orbit in spring of next year.
The European Space Agency’s Juice Spacecraft, headed toward Jupiter, has reportedly been testing its cameras and equipment on 3I/ATLAS this month, particularly after the comet made its nearest pass to the sun.
But astronomers note that the data obtained from its spacecraft won’t be available until February because Juice’s main antenna is being used as a heat shield while near the sun, which forces it to restrict the flow of energy used for data.
What scientists hope to gain from imagery
NASA scientists said they will eventually compare images of 3I/ATLAS to determine “the three dimensional structure of the comet” by viewing it through different angels “and how the comet’s dust scatters sunlight.”
Researchers said that it is a rare chance to compare “ancient dust from a distant solar system to that from our own.”
A team of 20 NASA scientists are helping to track and study the comet as it travels through our planetary system.
How big is the comet and where did it come from?
Astronomers believe that 3I/ATLAS is anywhere from 1,444 feet across to 3.5 miles across.
According to researchers observations, the comet is moving extremely fast and may have come from a star system older than our own, something NASA scientist Tom Statler said, gave him “goose bumps to think about.”
“That means that 3I/ATLAS is not just a window into another solar system, it’s a window into the deep past and so deep in the past that it predates even the formation of Earth and our sun,” Statler said.
NASA has dispelled rumors that the comet is of alien origin.
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