CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A rare comet from beyond the solar system is making a final pass near Earth this week before heading back into interstellar space, according to NASA.
The object, known as 3I/Atlas, will reach its closest point to Earth on Friday, passing within about 167 million miles (269 million kilometers). While that distance poses no threat, it marks the highlight of the comet’s brief visit through the inner solar system.
Discovered in July by NASA’s sky-surveying Atlas telescope in Chile, 3I/Atlas is estimated to measure anywhere from 1,444 feet to 3.5 miles (440 meters to 5.6 kilometers) across. NASA has been tracking the comet with space-based telescopes as it travels outward, though scientists say it is steadily fading as it departs.
Astronomers say the next few days offer the best opportunity for observers with backyard telescopes to spot the object in the night sky.
The comet will make an even closer approach to Jupiter in March, passing within 33 million miles (53 million kilometers) of the gas giant. After that encounter, it will continue accelerating away from the sun. It is expected to fully exit the solar system by the mid-2030s and will not return, said Paul Chodas, director of NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies.
3I/Atlas is only the third known interstellar object ever observed traveling through our solar system. Scientists say such comets originate in distant star systems elsewhere in the Milky Way, unlike familiar comets such as Halley’s, which come from the outer reaches of our own solar system.
The first confirmed interstellar visitor was detected in 2017 by a telescope in Hawaii. A second was discovered two years later by an amateur astronomer in Crimea. NASA officials say 3I/Atlas appears harmless but scientifically valuable.
Researchers believe the comet may have formed in a star system much older than our own, making it a unique opportunity to study material from beyond the solar neighborhood.
