A remarkable astronomical discovery has just been announced by scientists when they discovered a rare interstellar object moving through the Solar System.
The object, named 3I/ATLAS, is expected to make its closest approach to Earth on October 30.
The ATLAS (Asteroid Impact Warning System) telescope managed by NASA recorded the first appearance of this object on July 1 at the Rio Hurtado observatory (Chile) - one of the most ideal locations in the world for astronomical observation.
Newsweek quoted astronomy experts as saying that Comet 3I/ATLAS is approaching from the constellation Sagittarius and is currently about 420 million miles from Earth.
Scientists confirm that this object does not pose a danger to our planet, because according to its current orbit, the closest distance between it and Earth is also 150 million miles.
This is only the third interstellar object identified by scientists after 2I/Borisov (discovered in 2019) and 'Oumuamua (discovered in 2017).
3I/ATLAS is currently about 416 million miles from the Sun and will make its closest approach to Mars in October, at a distance of 37 million miles.
NASA said ground-based telescopes could track the object throughout September, before it moves too close to the Sun and becomes difficult to observe.
The comet is expected to reappear on the opposite side of the Sun in early December. Scientists determined the object's interstellar origin based on its orbital motion.
While Solar System objects typically move in closed elliptical orbits, interstellar objects follow hyperbolic orbits and have velocities high enough to escape gravity.
A study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2021 also showed that interstellar objects may be more common than we thought, even more so than "domestic" objects in the Oort cloud surrounding the Solar System./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nasa-phat-hien-vi-khach-la-di-chuyen-xuyen-qua-he-mat-troi-post1048149.vnp
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