3I/ATLAS heads toward NASA spacecraft after reverse thrust

The mysterious interstellar object dubbed 3I/ATLAS, which vanished behind the Sun after reversing its thrust, is now set to pass near the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spacecraft in just a few weeks.

Humanity’s third recorded interstellar visitor will pass close to two spacecrafts - NASA's Europa Clipper and the European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft - between October 25 to November 6.

Researchers are hopeful that the alien comet’s close trajectory to spacecraft will provide a unique opportunity to detect signals and study its nature.

In a pre-published study, European researchers noted that encounter with the comet’s ion tail is one of the most interesting possibilities as it will provide a direct sample of materials from beyond our solar system.

This kind of encounter presents a once in a life-time opportunity and they are very hard to detect. 

Previously, many have gone unnoticed, only appearing as a small fluctuation in the solar wind.

The comet, originally discovered in June, has kept astronomers on edge with its mysterious behaviour. 

Harvard astrophysicist Dr Avi Loeb has already raised the alarm that 3I/ATLAS might be an alien spacecraft.

The comet’s reverse thrust near the sun further baffled scientists, prompting NASA to add it to list of the potential threats to the Earth.