Clearest image of 3i/Atlas comet from ground based telescope.
A mysterious object passing through the solar system is grabbing the attention of astronomers around the world.
Tucson Catalina Sky Survey director Carson Fuls said the object, called 3i/Atlas, came within view of his team of planetary defense trackers, but it turns out the object won’t get any closer to Earth than Mars.
“That’s about as close as it comes to any planet in our solar system. It dips just inside the orbit of Mars before heading out never to come our way again," he said.
Fuls notes the fly-by will give scientists plenty of chances to observe the object. Most sky investigators think it’s a comet that has traveled from the center of the Milky Way across the path of our Sun.
“That cloud of gas and dust around it obscures the body itself so it’s difficult to tell how big the object is,” said Fuls.
VIEW LARGER 3i Atlas' eccentric path through the solar system. Scientists say the object’s trajectory indicates it came from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. It will pass slightly within the orbit of Mars later this year but has no chance of colliding with anything. The object is just the third space rock detected as coming close to Earth from beyond the solar system.
Astronomers predict 3i/Atlas might be bright enough to view through a typical backyard telescope in November of this year.
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