3I/ATLAS:
Scientists using the ATLAS telescope in Chile reported discovering an object named 3I/ATLAS, tracked since June 14.
- It is an interstellar comet, likely to be the oldest comet ever observed by scientists, potentially predating the formation of the solar system by over 3 billion years.
- Its identification as an interstellar object was based on its highly elliptical orbit, and fast velocity through space, travelling at 57–68 km/s relative to the Sun.
- The comet’s trajectory traces back to the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, suggesting its origin lies far outside our solar system, possibly from the Milky Way’s thick disk.
- Its orbit is hyperbolic, which means it will pass once through the solar system and never return.
- It will exit the solar system permanently after a brief interaction with the Sun.
- Closest approach to Earth: About 270 million km.
- Closest approach to the Sun: Around 210 million km, expected on October 29–30, 2025, slightly within Mars’s orbit.
- 3I/ATLAS is confirmed to be an active comet, with a visible coma, a cloud of ice particles and dust surrounding the nucleus.
- As it nears the Sun, it is expected to develop a tail, a characteristic cometary feature formed by solar heating.
