Interstellar comet passing by Mars seen in rare images

A rare interstellar comet – only the third to enter our solar system confirmed to enter our solar system – approached Mars last week, the European Space Agency said on Tuesday.

Images taken by two Mars orbiters on Friday show a bright, blurry white spot of the comet, 3i/AtlasBecause it is approximately 18,641,135 miles from Mars, it appears to be moving against a backdrop of distant stars. NASA said the comet poses no threat to Earth.

“This was a very challenging observation for the instrument,” said Nick Thomas, principal investigator for the Cassis camera. expression. “The comet is about 10,000 to 100,000 times weaker than our usual target.”

Since its discovery in July, Comet 3i/Atlas has been photographed several times. NASA and the European Space Agency in early August Shared images taken by the Hubble Space TelescopeIt captured the comet, which was approximately 277 million miles away.

Last month, a New image shows growing tail 3i/atlas from another star system published in our solar system.

NASA said the Comet will make its closest approach to the sun in late October, passing between Mars and Earth orbits. It should remain visible until September before moving too close to the sun to reappear on the opposite side in early December.

Scientists will continue analyzing data from both orbits and combine multiple images from Mars Express in hopes of detecting faint comets, the European Space Agency said Tuesday.

Interstellar comets are very rare, astronomers said. Only two more examples have been confirmed: 1i/’OUMUAMU in 2017 and 2i/Borisov In 2019.

Texas National Guard troops arrive in Illinois ahead of expected Chicago deployment

Utah lawmakers push new congressional maps that favor the GOP

50 years ago behind the invention of the Service Dog Concept