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Active Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Set for Safe Solar System Passage

Observation campaigns center on the comet’s developing coma alongside its swift trajectory ahead of an October 30 perihelion inside Mars’s orbit.

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The third known interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, is captured in the center of this image taken by an amateur astronomer using a 20-inch f/6.8 scope and five 20-second exposures via the iTelescope remote imaging service. Credit: Filipp Romanov
3I/ATLAS: Third and largest interstellar comet discovered, marking a new milestone in space science

Overview

  • Telescopic observations reveal that 3I/ATLAS is developing a cometary coma and tail as it heats in the inner solar system.
  • It is traveling at about 60 km/s, making it the fastest known interstellar visitor, and spans an estimated 10–20 kilometers in diameter.
  • Trajectory analyses project its closest approach at 1.5 AU from Earth and a perihelion inside Mars’s orbit on October 30.
  • Backtracking its path points to an origin near the Milky Way’s Galactic Center, suggesting a thick-disk or bulge provenance.
  • The European Space Agency is advancing its Comet Interceptor mission, scheduled for launch in 2029, to rendezvous with pristine or interstellar objects.