US EditionChina Mars Orbiter Photographs Interstellar Comet
- Tianwen-1's orbiter photographed 3I/ATLAS on October 3, 2025, using its high-resolution camera, CNSA announced with a fuzzy image showing comet-like features.
- Discovered on July 1, 2025, by a sky-survey telescope in Chile, 3I/ATLAS passed about 30 million km from Mars, prompting ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and Mars Express to image it closely.
- Because the comet is 10,000 to 100,000 times fainter than Martian targets, 3I/ATLAS’s speed of 58 km/s and relative 86 km/s to Tianwen-1 with a 5.6-kilometer nucleus strained imaging systems.
- China's National Space Agency said the effort yields experience for Tianwen-2, and the result positions Tianwen-1 as a long-running asset, matching ESA's early-October captures.
- As the third known interstellar visitor, 3I/ATLAS may have formed near ancient stars around 3 to 11 billion years ago and will reappear in early December.
22 Articles
22 Articles
China's Tianwen-1 Mars probe's orbiter successfully observes interstellar object 3I/ATLAS
China's Tianwen-1 Mars probe's orbiter has used its high-resolution camera to successfully observe the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. During the observation, the Tianwen-1 orbiter was approximately 30 million kilometers away from the target, making it one of the closest detectors to have observed this object to date, the Global Times learned from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Thursday.
3I/ATLAS Live Tracker: China releases image of 3I/ATLAS taken by Tianwen-1 Mars Orbiter
3I/ATLAS update today: Quite a few new things have been observed about the interstellar comet. We are keeping an eye on this visitor to inform you about everything that's going on with it. Scroll down for the latest on 3I/ATLAS.
China's Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter captures image of interstellar object older than the solar system
Using its high-resolution camera, China's Tianwen-1 orbiter has successfully observed the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS from about 30 million kilometers away, making it one of the closest probes to study this celestial body to date.
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