Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks also known as the “devil comet” is zooming toward its closest approach to the Sun, known as perihelion. Astronomers are tracking the comet in the night sky and its colorful reactions.
RIO HURTADO, Chile – Astronomers say they have discovered an interstellar comet speeding through the solar system, making it only the third known object of its kind to originate from beyond the Sun’s gravitational influence.
The comet, recently designated 3I/ATLAS, was first observed on July 1 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile.
At the time of its unexpected discovery, the comet was about 420 million miles from Earth, near Jupiter, and closing in on what is considered the inner solar system.
Despite its distance, NASA said the comet poses no threat to Earth or the Moon, as the interstellar object will remain at least 150 million miles away.
A space diagram shows the comet passing between the orbits of Earth and Mars sometime during late fall or early winter, but because of the alignment of planets and the Sun from September through November, it is not expected to be visible.
“The interstellar comet’s size and physical properties are being investigated by astronomers around the world,” NASA stated. “3I/ATLAS should remain visible to ground-based telescopes through September, after which it will pass too close to the Sun to observe. It is expected to reappear on the other side of the Sun by early December, allowing for renewed observations.”
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The diagram shows the trajectory of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.
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Since its initial detection, telescopes located in Hawaii, South Africa, California and dozens of other sites have all spotted the comet, which was estimated to be moving through the galaxy at more than 130,000 miles per hour.
Early estimates suggest the comet could have a diameter of at least 10 miles, but that figure remains uncertain due to observational limits.
According to NASA, a giant complex of dust and ice is usually less than 10 miles across but can eventually stretch millions of miles when the ice turns into gas and forms a tail.
The space agency did not say where astronomers believe the comet originated, though most such objects are thought to come from the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud.
These regions are anywhere from about 3 billion miles to nearly a light-year away from Earth and are known for their icy, rocky debris left over from the formation of the solar system.
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Currently, the comet is said to be observable only through high-powered telescopes, but that could change later in the year as the interstellar object makes its closest approach to Earth.
The agency also did not state if they believe one day the interstellar object will one day enter into any type of orbit around the Sun.
According to astronomers, the closest a recorded comet has ever come to Earth was in 1770, when what became known as Lexell’s Comet passed about 1.4 million miles away.
The Milky Way’s Galactic Centre and Jupiter (brightest spot at centre top) are seen from the countryside near the small town of Reboledo, department of Florida, Uruguay, early on August 24, 2020
(Photo by Mariana SUAREZ / AFP) (Photo by MARIANA SUAREZ/AFP via Getty Images)