NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured the sharpest image yet of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which is believed to have originated outside the Milky Way galaxy. The comet was first spotted on July 1 and is currently hurtling through the solar system at a speed of around 130,000 mph.
The comet’s trajectory takes it near Jupiter, approximately 420 million miles away from Earth, before entering the inner solar system. Despite its incredible speed, NASA assures that the comet poses no threat to our planet or the Moon.
Scientists estimate the comet’s nucleus to be around 3.5 miles wide and are using high-resolution imagery to refine their understanding of its size. The comet’s surface is composed of dust and icy material, shedding a large amount of debris into space.
Researchers believe that the comet has been traveling through space for billions of years, accelerating its speed due to gravitational interactions with stars, planets, and nebulae. Several high-tech instruments, including Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope, will continue to observe the comet before it becomes hidden from Earth later this year.
The comet is expected to reappear on the other side of the Sun by early December, allowing for renewed observations. Its origins remain a mystery, with many scientists believing that objects like 3I/ATLAS come from the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud regions of our solar system.
Source: https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/comet-3i-atlas-latest-track