comet 3I/ATLAS approached Mars on October 3rd to just 29 million kilometers, prompting astronomers from the European Space Agency (ESA) to use the ExoMars TGO probe located in the orbit of the red planet. Thanks to the close flyby, the satellite was up to ten times closer to the body than ground-based telescopes, which until then were the only possible device for observing it.
Now scientists have released satellite images detailing the comet’s speed. “Data acquired from a Martian satellite together with data from Contry helped us refine the prediction of its orbit,” ESA introduced.
According to experts, pinpointing the location is vital for further research before the object moving at a speed of 250,000 kilometers per hour gets out of sight again in the Solar system. After that, they never come back.
Image of comet 3I/ATLAS taken by the ExoMars TGO orbital satellite:
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At the same time, the researchers used the close flyby for practice in planetary defenses. In this way, they tested the connection of data obtained by terrestrial devices adn a satellite located elsewhere in space, which is also not primarily intended for monitoring near-Earth objects. In doing so, they confirmed that they can considerably refine the trajectories of flying planets or comets. However,3I/ATLAS does not pose a threat to Earth.
ESA experts continue to observe the interstellar comet after its approach to the Sun through othre devices, such as the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer probe (Juice). But they will process the data in February next year at the earliest.
The comet is constantly changing
Comet 3I/ATLAS is currently being monitored by various science teams. Astronomers from the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, through the MeerKAT radio telescope, provided information about the capture a few days ago of a radio signal of an interstellar body.
“The signal is related to the breakdown of water molecules consequently of sunlight. It indicates the