Growing Comet Visits Our Solar System
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Recent telescope observations have captured the impressive sight of a comet that’s making its way through our solar system, originating from another star. The latest images taken by the Gemini South telescope in Chile show the comet, known as 3I-Atlas, with a visible tail that has become longer than previous images indicated.
This comet is gaining activity as it approaches the sun, revealing a wide cloud of dust and gas surrounding its icy core. According to experts from the National Space Foundation’s NoirLab, this is only the third interstellar object known to enter our solar neighborhood.
As of Thursday, the comet was about 238 million miles away from Earth and getting closer. It is expected to make its closest approach to the sun toward the end of October, followed by a pass near Earth in December, at a distance of 167 million miles—farther away than the sun itself.
This fascinating journey of the comet offers an exciting opportunity for us to observe and learn more about these distant travelers.
