Comet 3I/ATLAS Entered Solar System: After its Closest Pass to the Sun, Expected to Reappear Around THIS Date

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS has entered our solar system and is the third visitor, according to NASA. NASA confirmed that it will reappear in late November and become visible again by early December this year. It is said that it has made its closest approach to the sun. It will appear again around November 11 and will be visible to large telescopes (20 cm in diameter). It made its closest passage to the Sun on October 29 at a distance of approximately 200 million kilometers.  It will reappear in the eastern sky after dawn. Reports say that it has astonished scientists as it is moving at a rapid pace.

The European Space Agency (ESA) said that the comet will be reaching its closest point to Earth. For the moment, it is out of view. Like the Sun, it will make the closest approach to Jupiter by 2026. Thus, this comet is highly important to be studied too. It is also believed that it has an origin from the galaxy’s thick disk. Here, many older stars reside. According to the reports, the comet underwent a significant visual change while approaching the Sun. It turned a bright blue.

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It is the Oldest Comet, Around 3 Billion Years?

Astronomers believe that this comet may be the oldest comet, around 3 billion years old. Astronomers have identified that this comet is very ancient and predating the formation of our solar system and has ice over it. The scientists could conduct spectroscopic studies to study the ice and other elements. They will examine the gas and dust composition too, according to the ESA.

What Studies Say? 

Researchers at the University of Oxford, who led the discovery, said that the comet has a unique chemical composition which could reveal important details about some conditions that shaped the early planetary systems. NASA confirmed that comet 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth. It will remain 170 million miles away.