Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS imaged near Mars
European Space Agency scientists reported this week that two Mars orbiters photographed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passed near Mars. The images, taken last Friday by the CaSSIS camera and other orbiter instruments, show the faint comet about 18,641,135 miles from Mars; NASA and ESA teams say the object poses no threat to Earth and will reach perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in late October.
Science
Space
📌 Key Facts
- ESA and Mars orbiters captured images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS last Friday; the CaSSIS team called the observation "very challenging."
- The comet was observed about 18,641,135 miles from Mars and is only the third confirmed interstellar comet after 1I/'Oumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019).
- NASA and ESA note the comet will make its closest approach to the Sun in late October, should remain visible through September, and is expected to reappear on the opposite side of the Sun in early December.