New interstellar comet will keep a safe distance from Earth, NASA says
SOLAR SYSTEM, JUL 13 – The object, possibly up to 20 kilometers wide, is the largest interstellar visitor detected and will pass inside Mars' orbit in late October, posing no threat to Earth, ESA says.
- On July 1, the ATLAS telescope in Chile detected 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar object ever observed.
- Following its initial detection, ATLAS in Chile traced 3I/ATLAS's hyperbolic speed, confirming its interstellar origin through precovery images from June.
- Data confirm 3I/ATLAS is up to 20 km wide, traveling at 60 km/s, approaching within 1.4 AU of the Sun on October 30, with no threat to Earth at 240 million km away.
- Following confirmation, telescopes like JWST will study 3I/ATLAS during its early December reemergence, offering rare insights into interstellar material.
- Beyond this event, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's new capabilities will help determine if interstellar visitors like 3I/ATLAS are rare or common in our galaxy.
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A look at some of the strange objects in our solar system
There have been a number of strange objects that have entered our solar system over the past decade, all of which have raised questions about their composition but more importantly their origin. In 2017, Oumuamua, (pronounced oh MOO-uh MOO-uh), caused a stir as it causally entered our neck of the woods in the autumn. The object which measured 115 metres long, 364 metres wide, and 19 metres depth, was subsequently confirmed as the first body to…
Shafaq News - Follow-up: Astronomers have spotted a mysterious celestial object coming from the depths of interstellar space, dubbed 3I/ATLAS. It is the third confirmed object from outside the solar system to pass through it in recent history, following Oumuamua in 2017 and Borisov in 2019. The object, likely a comet, is traveling at an astonishing speed of more than 210,000 kilometers per hour and is expected to approach the sun in late October…
It now appears that the comet could be as much as three billion years older than our solar system.
This interstellar comet may be a frozen relic from before the Sun
A newly discovered comet, 3I/ATLAS, may be the most ancient visitor ever detected, potentially older than our solar system itself. Unlike previous interstellar objects, this ice-rich comet seems to originate from the thick disk of the Milky Way, a region filled with ancient stars. First spotted in July 2025, it’s already showing signs of activity and could help scientists understand more about galactic chemistry and the origins of planetary syst…
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