An interstellar comet known as 3I/ATLAS has captured astronomers’ attention as it dramatically spews ice and dust toward the Sun in a dazzling cosmic display.
The new composite image, captured on August 2 by the Two-meter Twin Telescope (TTT) at the Teide Observatory in Spain’s Canary Islands, shows a brilliant jet of material shooting from the comet’s surface — a vivid reminder of how alien visitors behave as they warm up near our star.
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS blasts a jet towards the sun in new telescope image | Space
Images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
New images of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS show giant ‘jet’ shooting toward the sun | Live Science
A Rare Visitor from Beyond the Solar System
The comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system, following the mysterious ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. These rare travelers originate from outside our solar system, likely ejected from other planetary systems millions of years ago.
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3I/ATLAS is now hurtling toward its closest approach to the Sun, expected on October 30, when it will come within 1.8 astronomical units (about 167 million miles) of Earth — close enough to be visible in small telescopes before it fades back into the dark of interstellar space.
“This is the usual,” said Miquel Serra-Ricart, astrophysicist and chief science officer at the Light Bridges research institution, in an email to Live Science. “The comet’s tail is also pointing away from the sun, which is typical of these icy objects.”
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