A comet from an entirely different solar system is flying through ours, NASA says
A comet from a solar system outside our own was first noticed on July 1 by a NASA telescope located in Rio Hurtado, Chile, as part of the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). When scanning the sky for space debris that could pose a threat to Earth, it detected a then-unknown object zipping through space.
NASA then gathered data collected about the object from several telescopes around the world, tracing its earliest captured appearance back to June 14.
Officially named 3I/ATLAS, the comet was confirmed as having originated outside of Earth's solar system on July 3, according to the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. It is believed to be about 20 kilometers, or over 12 miles wide, according to the ESA and traveling at about 60 kilometers, or 37 miles per second relative to the sun.
The visitor poses no threat, NASA said, as it will remain at least 150 million miles away from Earth.
It is 420 million miles away as of July 3, and will reach its closest point to the sun around Oct. 30, when it passes by at a distance of about 130 million miles. It will be observable by telescope until September, advised NASA, when it will then approach the sun too closely to be seen, but will be viewable again around December.
"While every planet, moon, asteroid, comet and lifeform that formed in our Solar System shares a common origin, a common heritage, interstellar visitors are true outsiders," the ESA said in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
Scientists know of only two other interstellar objects that have ever been observed from Earth. The first, 1I/2017 U1 'Oumuamua, was discovered by the University of Hawaii's Pan-STARRS1 telescope on Oct. 19, 2017. Described by NASA as "cigar-shaped" with a "reddish hue," it was originally believed to be a comet, then an asteroid, then possibly a comet again.
The second, Comet 2I/Borisov, was spotted by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov of Crimea on Aug. 30, 2019. It streaked through our solar system at 110,000 mph, according to NASA, and behaved more like an active comet.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A space object from another solar system is zipping through ours
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