US EditionScientists Refine Path of Interstellar Comet by Tenfold
ESA’s Mars orbiter improved tracking of comet 3I/ATLAS’s trajectory by a factor of 10, enhancing future planetary defense and scientific observations of this rare interstellar visitor.
- On October 3, 2025, the European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter used Mars-based images to refine 3I/ATLAS's trajectory tenfold, and the data were accepted by the Minor Planet Center.
- Until September 2025, astronomers relied chiefly on Earth-based observatories, but ground-based telescopes’ single viewpoints hindered precise tracking until Mars-based triangulation improved ephemeris calculations.
- ExoMars TGO aimed its CaSSIS camera at the stars between Oct. 1 and Oct. 7, repurposing its Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System to capture the coma during the Oct. 3 closest approach from 29 million kilometres.
- Astronomers can now point instruments more precisely thanks to the new orbit, letting astronomers aim instruments confidently for detailed study of 3I/ATLAS while ESA's planetary defence teams rehearsed tracking high-speed objects.
- Looking ahead, ESA's JUICE observed 3I/ATLAS from Nov. 2 until Nov. 25, but data won't be available until February 2026, with closest approach to Earth on December 19, 2025, at 1.8 astronomical units.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Mars orbiter narrows down the exact path of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS by 'ten-fold,' surprising scientists
Scientists from the European Space Agency have significantly narrowed down the trajectory of the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS thanks to data from the alien comet's recent flyby of Mars, allowing for more accurate future observations.
Mars spacecraft images pinpoint comet 3I/ATLAS's path with 10x higher accuracy. This could help us protect Earth someday
The path of interstellar invader comet 3I/ATLAS has been predicted with 10 times the previous accuracy, thanks to the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter orbiting Mars. This is good news for planetary defense.
ESA pinpoints 3I/ATLAS's path with data from Mars
Since comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object, was discovered on 1 July 2025, astronomers worldwide have worked to predict its trajectory. ESA has now improved the comet's predicted location by a factor of 10, thanks to the innovative use of observation data from its ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) spacecraft orbiting Mars.
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