NASA has released stunning close-up images of an interstellar comet hurtling through our solar system from another star system. The rare visitor, dubbed 3I/Atlas, made a quick one-way trip past Mars last month before zooming by Earth just 190 miles away.
The European Space Agency's satellites and NASA's spacecraft captured the comet's fuzzy white blob as it passed mere miles away, providing a unique glimpse of this extraterrestrial phenomenon. The images are visible from Earth with even modest telescopes or binoculars, offering a captivating opportunity for astronomers to study this rare visitor up close.
The 3I/Atlas is believed to be enormous, stretching between 1,444 feet and 5.6 miles across, sparking awe among scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Tom Statler, a NASA scientist, revealed that the comet may have originated in a star system older than our own, giving us a window into the cosmos' deep past.
With its extraordinary journey marking only the third confirmed visit from another star system to our solar system, 3I/Atlas has left experts and enthusiasts alike fascinated. Despite some unfounded speculation about an extraterrestrial ship, NASA officials reassured that this comet is purely a celestial body, highlighting the agency's ongoing pursuit of life beyond Earth.
As the comet hurtles towards its closest point with Earth in mid-December, scientists are eagerly awaiting their chance to study 3I/Atlas up close. With the James Webb space telescope and other NASA spacecraft on high alert, astronomers are poised to unravel the secrets behind this rare visitor from another star system.
The European Space Agency's satellites and NASA's spacecraft captured the comet's fuzzy white blob as it passed mere miles away, providing a unique glimpse of this extraterrestrial phenomenon. The images are visible from Earth with even modest telescopes or binoculars, offering a captivating opportunity for astronomers to study this rare visitor up close.
The 3I/Atlas is believed to be enormous, stretching between 1,444 feet and 5.6 miles across, sparking awe among scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Tom Statler, a NASA scientist, revealed that the comet may have originated in a star system older than our own, giving us a window into the cosmos' deep past.
With its extraordinary journey marking only the third confirmed visit from another star system to our solar system, 3I/Atlas has left experts and enthusiasts alike fascinated. Despite some unfounded speculation about an extraterrestrial ship, NASA officials reassured that this comet is purely a celestial body, highlighting the agency's ongoing pursuit of life beyond Earth.
As the comet hurtles towards its closest point with Earth in mid-December, scientists are eagerly awaiting their chance to study 3I/Atlas up close. With the James Webb space telescope and other NASA spacecraft on high alert, astronomers are poised to unravel the secrets behind this rare visitor from another star system.