NASA released close-up pictures on Wednesday of the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas, which is currently making a rapid, one-time tour through our solar system.
Discovered over the summer, the comet is only the third confirmed object to ever visit our corner of the cosmos from another star system. It made a recent, harmless pass by Mars last month, which provided a unique opportunity for observation.
Observations from Mars and Beyond
Several space agencies utilized their assets near Mars to capture images and data on the interstellar visitor:
- Mars Observations: Three NASA spacecraft on and near the red planet, along with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) two satellites orbiting Mars, zoomed in on the comet as it passed just 18 million miles (29 million kilometers) away, revealing a fuzzy white blob.
- Ongoing Surveillance: Other spacecraft, including the Webb Space Telescope, will continue to observe 3I/Atlas in the weeks ahead.
- Ground Telescopes: Astronomers globally, including Gianluca Masi of The Virtual Telescope Project from Italy, are aiming ground telescopes at the comet, which is currently about 190 million miles (307 million kilometers) from Earth. The comet is currently visible from Earth in the predawn sky using binoculars or a telescope.
The closest the comet will approach Earth is 167 million miles (269 million kilometers) in mid-December, after which it will “hightail it back into interstellar space, never to return,” according to NASA.