To study comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third interstellar object to be found passing through our solar system, NASA is going all out with a solar system wide observation campaign that is unheard of in nature. The comet that was first detected on July 1 by the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in Chile has attracted the attention of many different spacecraft and space telescopes that have been monitoring it intensively ever since.Just after the discovery, the Hubble Space Telescope of NASA also took a look at the comet. Later in the month of August, the comet was photographed by the James Webb Space Telescope and SPHEREx. All these observations combined give the researchers a deeper understanding of what this interstellar visitor is like as compared to the comets that originated in the solar system.
How to spot comet 3I/ATLAS on 19th December
Comet 3I/ATLAS will be closest to Earth on Friday, December 19; it will be around 274 million kilometres away. That distance is almost double the average distance between Earth and the Sun, so it doesn’t pose any danger to our planet. At the closest point, the comet will still be more than 700 times farther away than the Moon.While it is a very long way off, astronomers say that the closest approach is the best time to see the comet before it goes on its way out of the inner solar system.Stargazers might just be able to see this interstellar visitor if they look in the early morning hours before the sun comes up and face the east to northeast. The comet will be just a bit lower than Regulus, the very bright star in the constellation Leo.Still, to see 3I/ATLAS, one would need a telescope with an aperture of 30 centimetres or more. Those who wish to do it may find it convenient to check if there are any observatories or astronomy clubs hosting skywatching events.
A solar system wide observation effort
Until now, a dozen NASA instruments have recorded and processed images of comet 3I/ATLAS. Few other spacecraft are expected to observe it as it moves through the solar system. The comet is scheduled to go beyond the orbit of Jupiter in the spring of 2026, and then it will return to interstellar space.Comparing the comet with local solar system comets, researchers are able to do a rare and valuable study by looking at the comet from Earth, Mars, and space telescopes. Such observations may provide substantial clues about the origin and development of planetary systems in the universe.In fact, some of the closest and most detailed shots of 3I/ATLAS were taken around Mars, as the comet flew by there earlier this fall at a distance of approximately 30.6 million kilometres. Three NASA missions were involved in the event observation.The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) took one of the nearest shots of the comet, while the MAVEN orbiter gathered ultraviolet data that will aid researchers in determining the comet’s composition. At the same time, NASA’s Perseverance rover was able to capture a very dim image of the comet from the Martian surface; thus, it is a rare instance of an interplanetary observation having been made.
