Mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is hurtling through the solar system. As it continues its journey, it offers an unprecedented opportunity to observe 3I/ATLAS by using spacecraft designed for Jupiter and Mars.
First detected in July by an ATLAS telescope in Chile, the interstellar object is expected to come within 18 million miles of Mars on October 3.
Given its proximity to the Red Planet, two space probes orbiting Mars, including ExoMars and Mars Express are prepared to track 3I/ATLAS and take closest scans of the enigmatic comet or alien spacecraft as the scientific community is divided over its nature of interstellar object.
Based on its unusual trajectory with velocity of around 130,000 mph, the astronomers identified its extrasolar origin.
As per scientists’ observations, 3I/ATLAS will be visible to ground-based telescopes until September 2025.
Afterwards, it is going to disappear as it will take its trajectory too close to the sun and ultimately behind it from Earth’s perspective,
Resultantly, the interstellar object cannot be seen from Earth-based telescopes until early December.
Scientists are making the most of this opportunity to track the comet real-time by utilizing a fleet of European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA’s planetary missions.
Being positioned on the sun-facing side of the comet's path, these spacecraft can continue observing 3I/ATLAS even if it disappeared from Earth.
"Between 1 and 7 October, our Mars orbiters Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter will observe the comet as it passes close to Mars, with the closest distance between the spacecraft and the comet being 30 million km on 3 October," ESA wrote in a statement.
ESA’s Jupiter Ice Moons Explorer (Juice) will position its instrument towards 3I/ATLAS between November 2 and 25. It will begin its observations when an interstellar object reaches perihelion.
"JUICE will be in the best position for the important period around the 3I/ATLAS perihelion, when observations from Earth will be the hardest," said T. Marshall Eubanks, Chief Scientist at Space Initiatives Inc.
3I/ATLAS is the third object found hurling towards our solar system. The other two included 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, discovered in 2017 and 2019 respectively.