The Hubble Space Telescope recorded the best photo of a comet to date visiting our solar system from another star.
NASA and the European Space Office (ESA) posted the photo on Thursday.
It was discovered last month by a telescope in Chile. The comet known as 3i-atlas is only the third known interstellar object that passes near the earth, But it is not a threat to our planet.
Hubble Observations of Interstellar Visitor 3i/Atlas Show that it looks like a comet. It has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off a solid icy nucleus. The Nucleus is Roughly No Wider Than 3.5 Miles (5.6 Kilometers): https://t.co/roolGoyqrh pic.twitter.com/7xRmamvzny
– Space Telescope Science Institute (@Spacetelescope) August 7, 2025
Astronomers initially estimated the size of its iced core in tens of kilometers in diameter, but Hubble’s observations have limited it to no more than 5.6 kilometers. It could even be as small as 320 meters, according to scientists.
The comet moves at speed 209,000 km/h, But it will come closer to Mars than to Earth, maintaining a safe distance from both planets. Was at a distance 446 million kilometers when photographed by Hubble a few weeks ago. The telescope revealed a bluish cloud of dust that looks like a tear around the core.
Source :Skai
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