Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
Image Credit:
NASA,
JPL-Caltech
It came from outer space.
An object from outside
our Solar System is now passing through at high speed.
Classified as a comet because of its gaseous coma,
3I/ATLAS is
only
the third identified
macroscopic object as being
so alien.
The comet's trajectory is shown in white on the
featured map, where the orbits of
Jupiter,
Mars, and
Earth are shown in gold, red, and blue.
Currently Comet 3I/ATLAS is about the distance of Jupiter from the Sun --
but closing, with its closest approach to our Sun
expected to be within the orbit of
Mars in late October.
Expected to pass near both Mars and Jupiter,
3I/ATLAS is not expected to pass close to the Earth.
The origin of Comet 3I/ATLAS
remains unknown.
Although initial activity indicates a
relatively normal comet,
future observations about
3I/ATLAS'
composition and nature will surely continue.