Newly spotted comet is third interstellar object seen in our solar system
According to US space agency NASA, the interloper — named 3I/ATLAS — was first spotted on Tuesday by an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS, telescope located in Rio Hurtado, Chile. Astronomers said its unusual trajectory indicated it had ventured from beyond our solar system.
Journeying at a speed of about 60km per second from the direction of the centre of the Milky Way galaxy, 3I/ATLAS is now located about 670-million kilometres from Earth.
'Beyond that we do not know very much, and there are many efforts under way to observe this object with larger telescopes to determine composition,' University of Hawaii astronomer Larry Denneau, co-principal investigator for ATLAS, said on Thursday.
The only other such interstellar visitors previously observed by astronomers were objects called 1I/'Oumuamua (pronounced oh-MOO-uh-MOO-uh), detected in 2017, and 2I/Borisov, discovered in 2019.
'The comet has some similarities to 2I/Borisov in that it appears to be an icy comet, but it is much larger, possibly 10km in diameter,' Denneau said.
'It has a faint coma,' Denneau added, referring to the cloud of gas and dust surrounding a comet's nucleus, 'but the coma and tail may increase dramatically as the object comes closer to the sun. Its closest approach to the sun will be later this year, when it will come inside the orbit of Mars. We don't know what will happen, so that's exciting.'
Astronomers said the comet poses no threat to Earth and will never come closer than 240-million km away, equivalent to more than 1-1/2 times the distance between Earth and the sun. It is located about 670-million km from the sun and will reach its closest approach to the sun on about October 30, when it will be about 210-million km away from our star.
The ATLAS network is a NASA-funded telescope survey built and operated by the University of Hawaii, with five telescopes around the world that scan the night sky continuously to look for objects that could threaten Earth.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
4 days ago
- The Herald
Newly spotted comet is third interstellar object seen in our solar system
Astronomers are tracking a newly spotted comet hailing from parts unknown, only the third time such an interstellar object has been observed visiting our solar system. According to US space agency NASA, the interloper — named 3I/ATLAS — was first spotted on Tuesday by an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS, telescope located in Rio Hurtado, Chile. Astronomers said its unusual trajectory indicated it had ventured from beyond our solar system. Journeying at a speed of about 60km per second from the direction of the centre of the Milky Way galaxy, 3I/ATLAS is now located about 670-million kilometres from Earth. 'Beyond that we do not know very much, and there are many efforts under way to observe this object with larger telescopes to determine composition,' University of Hawaii astronomer Larry Denneau, co-principal investigator for ATLAS, said on Thursday. The only other such interstellar visitors previously observed by astronomers were objects called 1I/'Oumuamua (pronounced oh-MOO-uh-MOO-uh), detected in 2017, and 2I/Borisov, discovered in 2019. 'The comet has some similarities to 2I/Borisov in that it appears to be an icy comet, but it is much larger, possibly 10km in diameter,' Denneau said. 'It has a faint coma,' Denneau added, referring to the cloud of gas and dust surrounding a comet's nucleus, 'but the coma and tail may increase dramatically as the object comes closer to the sun. Its closest approach to the sun will be later this year, when it will come inside the orbit of Mars. We don't know what will happen, so that's exciting.' Astronomers said the comet poses no threat to Earth and will never come closer than 240-million km away, equivalent to more than 1-1/2 times the distance between Earth and the sun. It is located about 670-million km from the sun and will reach its closest approach to the sun on about October 30, when it will be about 210-million km away from our star. The ATLAS network is a NASA-funded telescope survey built and operated by the University of Hawaii, with five telescopes around the world that scan the night sky continuously to look for objects that could threaten Earth. Reuters
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Newly spotted comet is third interstellar object seen in our solar system
Astronomers are tracking a newly spotted comet hailing from parts unknown, only the third time such an interstellar object has been observed visiting our solar system. According to US space agency NASA, the interloper — named 3I/ATLAS — was first spotted on Tuesday by an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS, telescope located in Rio Hurtado, Chile. Astronomers said its unusual trajectory indicated it had ventured from beyond our solar system. Journeying at a speed of about 60km per second from the direction of the centre of the Milky Way galaxy, 3I/ATLAS is now located about 670-million kilometres from Earth. 'Beyond that we do not know very much, and there are many efforts under way to observe this object with larger telescopes to determine composition,' University of Hawaii astronomer Larry Denneau, co-principal investigator for ATLAS, said on Thursday. The only other such interstellar visitors previously observed by astronomers were objects called 1I/'Oumuamua (pronounced oh-MOO-uh-MOO-uh), detected in 2017, and 2I/Borisov, discovered in 2019. 'The comet has some similarities to 2I/Borisov in that it appears to be an icy comet, but it is much larger, possibly 10km in diameter,' Denneau said. 'It has a faint coma,' Denneau added, referring to the cloud of gas and dust surrounding a comet's nucleus, 'but the coma and tail may increase dramatically as the object comes closer to the sun. Its closest approach to the sun will be later this year, when it will come inside the orbit of Mars. We don't know what will happen, so that's exciting.' Astronomers said the comet poses no threat to Earth and will never come closer than 240-million km away, equivalent to more than 1-1/2 times the distance between Earth and the sun. It is located about 670-million km from the sun and will reach its closest approach to the sun on about October 30, when it will be about 210-million km away from our star. The ATLAS network is a NASA-funded telescope survey built and operated by the University of Hawaii, with five telescopes around the world that scan the night sky continuously to look for objects that could threaten Earth.
eNCA
01-07-2025
- eNCA
NASA eyes summer streaming liftoff on Netflix
NEW YORK - Streaming giant Netflix said it will soon allow viewers to binge rocket launches and spacewalks through a partnership with US space agency NASA. "Whether you're a die-hard space nerd or someone who just really, really enjoys seeing Earth glow from 250 miles up, the countdown has officially begun," Netflix said in a blog post announcing the new NASA+ feed. Programming will include "jaw-dropping Earth views from the International Space Station (ISS), astronaut spacewalks that make your palms sweat" and rocket launch livestreams, according to Netflix. NASA said its partnership with the entertainment company, which reported over 300 million subscribers in December, aims to "bring space a little closer to home." "Our Space Act of 1958 calls on us to share our story of space exploration with the broadest possible audience," wrote Rebecca Sirmons, general manager of NASA+. The stream is committed to "inspiring new generations -- right from the comfort of their couch or in the palm of their hand from their phone," she added. NASA+ programming will remain free of charge for viewers on the website and the agency's mobile app. Netflix announced a similar partnership with French television group TF1 earlier this month, its first such deal with a major traditional broadcaster anywhere in the world. That programming is slated to launch in summer 2026, giving Netflix subscribers in France access to five TV channels and a streaming platform. The terms of the Netflix deal were not made public, but follow in the footsteps of other partnerships to expand its content offerings. The company entered new territory at the end of 2024 by livestreaming two NFL games and a boxing match between YouTube personality Jake Paul and retired professional boxer Mike Tyson.
