Another interstellar comet is approaching us: When will it appear?
What's the story
NASA has discovered an interstellar comet, dubbed 3I/ATLAS, that is speeding through the Solar System. The comet was first detected on July 1 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) survey telescope in Chile. It hails from another star system and is currently located some 670 million kilometers away from the Sun, near Jupiter's orbit.
Path prediction
Comet to be visible until September
3I/ATLAS is hurtling toward the Sun at a speed of 59km/s. It will make its closest approach to the Sun in late October, passing closer to Mars than Earth at a safe distance of 240 million kilometers away. The comet will be visible through telescopes until September, after which it will get too close to the Sun for observation. It is expected to reappear on the other side of the Sun by early December for further study.
Comet details
Likely larger than the previous ones
The comet's size is still being studied, but it appears to be larger than the first two interstellar comets discovered. It is traveling at a faster pace and from a different direction than the previous ones. The first interstellar object detected from Earth was 'Oumuamua in 2017, while the second one was 21/Borisov in 2019.