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Rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is zooming past Mars: Details here
A rare space visitor is in town—comet 3I/ATLAS, spotted on July 1, is only the third interstellar object ever seen passing through our solar system (after 'Oumuamua and Borisov).
It's cruising near Mars and isn't a danger to Earth, but it's got astronomers buzzing with excitement.
Comet bigger than its famous predecessors
At about 19.31km wide, 3I/ATLAS is bigger than its famous predecessors.
The Gemini North telescope in Hawai'i caught it sporting a dense cloud of gas and dust around its icy core.
Scientists think this comet might be older than our solar system itself and likely comes from the far edge of the Milky Way—a once-in-a-lifetime chance to study material from another star system.