Wow! A New Comet from Deep Space Visits Our Solar System 🌠
Hey space fans! Have you ever wondered what lies beyond our solar system? Well, something amazing just happened! Astronomers have discovered a new comet that’s come from another star system far, far away. It’s called 3I/ATLAS, and it’s only the third time we’ve seen an interstellar visitor like this!
What Makes 3I/ATLAS Special?
Most comets we see are from our own solar system. But 3I/ATLAS is different. It’s traveling on a path that shows it came from outside our solar neighborhood! Imagine a traveler from a distant town visiting your city—that’s what this comet is like!
How Did We Find It?
The comet was spotted by a telescope called ATLAS (which stands for Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) in Chile on Tuesday. Astronomers noticed its unusual path and realized it wasn’t from around here.
A Speedy Visitor 🌌
3I/ATLAS is zooming through space at an incredible speed of about 60 kilometers per second! That’s like going around the entire Earth more than once every minute!
When Can We See It?
The comet is currently very far away—about 670 million kilometers from Earth. That’s almost as far as the distance from the Sun to Jupiter! Later this year, it will come closer to the Sun, inside the orbit of Mars. Astronomers think its coma (that’s the fuzzy glow around a comet) and tail might get bigger and brighter as it gets closer.
Is It Dangerous?
Don’t worry! 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth. It will never come closer than 240 million kilometers to us. That’s way further than the distance from Earth to Mars!
Why Is This Exciting?
This is a rare chance for scientists to learn more about other star systems. By studying 3I/ATLAS, we can discover what materials it’s made of and maybe learn secrets about the universe beyond our solar system!
Other Interstellar Visitors
Before 3I/ATLAS, we’ve only seen two other objects from outside our solar system:
- 1I/’Oumuamua in 2017: A mysterious, cigar-shaped object.
- 2I/Borisov in 2019: An icy comet similar to those in our solar system.
Stay Tuned! 🔭
Astronomers all over the world are pointing their telescopes at 3I/ATLAS to learn as much as they can. Who knows what exciting discoveries they’ll make? Maybe one day, you’ll be the astronaut or scientist uncovering the mysteries of space!
Keep looking up at the stars—they have many stories to tell!
Reference(s):
Newly found comet is 3rd interstellar object seen in our solar system
cgtn.com
