Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will visit us in 2025: Here's why
A rare visitor from outside our solar system, comet 3I/ATLAS, was spotted just this July and is set to swing by the Sun around its perihelion in 2025.
It'll pass within the orbit of Mars and will zip past Earth at its closest in December (but still a safe 270 million km away).
Comet's tail will help us study another star system
3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar object to visit us and is thought to be around seven billion years old.
As it heats up near the Sun, it'll grow a tail of gas and dust—giving scientists a rare chance to study ancient material from another star system.
Some spacecraft might even fly through its tail for in-situ analysis!
Space missions will track the comet's journey
While telescopes on Earth won't have a clear shot (the Sun will block our view), space missions like ESA's JUICE, NASA's Psyche, and several Mars orbiters are gearing up for front-row seats.
Solar probes like SOHO and Parker Solar Probe will also track its journey from afar.