In a rare sight, Nasa has spotted a fast-moving object from another star system that is currently lurking about 4.5 au (about 416 million miles or 670 million km) from the Sun, in our solar system. Nasa spotted the interstellar object through the sky-surveying ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Chile earlier this week and confirmed that the object was a comet. Astronomers around the world are monitoring the comet, which is officially named 3I/Atlas.It is only the third known alien object to pass through our solar system. Astronomers said the comet will pass by without posing a threat to Earth.“It appears somewhat fuzzy,” said Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center. “There seems to be some gas surrounding it, and at least one or two telescopes have reported a short tail”, reported AFP.
This diagram shows the trajectory of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through the solar system. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Its closest brush with the Sun will come around October 30, when it will scoot between Mars and Earth at a distance of 1.4 au (about 130 million miles or 210 million km), nearer to Mars.The cigar‑shaped Oumuamua was the first such object in 2017, followed by comet 21/Borisov in 2019. Now 3I/Atlas joins the list, offering scientists a closer look at the comet’s size and physical properties. It is expected to emerge on the other side of the Sun by early December.
