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Comet 3I/ATLAS coming near Earth: The comet which scientists have been watching continuously for 5 months and were trying to find out whether it is a threat to us or not, has now come very close to the Earth. After a short wait, this comet will pass close to the Earth and scientists are keeping their eyes on it. So will it destroy the earth or give an opportunity to understand another mystery of the universe?
Ever since the arrival of a very rare and strange space guest in our solar system, scientists have been keeping their eyes focused on space. Sometimes it is considered a threat and sometimes an opportunity. Now the time has come that this mysterious comet is coming very close to the Earth. Comet 3I/ATLAS, on which scientists were doing research, will pass closest to the Earth on December 19. This moment is important for scientists because such a comet comes from outside our solar system and then goes back into the infinite depths of space. In simple language it is alien to our solar system.
This comet was discovered on July 1 by the NASA-funded ATLAS telescope located in Chile. 3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar object ever identified. Earlier, Comite 1I/Oumuamua was seen in the year 2017 and Comite 2I/Borisov was seen in the year 2019. According to scientists, the path of 3I/ATLAS clearly shows that it is not from our solar system, but was formed around some other star and has been passing through our area for some time now.
How much danger to the earth?
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), 3I/ATLAS will come to a distance of approximately 1.8 astronomical units (AU) of Earth. This distance is about 27 crore kilometers, i.e. almost double the average distance between the Earth and the Sun. In such a situation, it can be said that this comet is not any kind of threat to the Earth. Although this comet is passing at a safe distance, it is a very valuable opportunity for scientists. When 3I/ATLAS passes by the Sun, its icy surface heats up and expels gas and dust. Studying these particles will help scientists understand how comets form around other stars. What is the starting material of the planets?
UN also keeps an eye on NASA
According to the report of Live Science, not only NASA but also the UN is keeping an eye on this. The United Nations’ International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) has completed approximately half of the 3I/ATLAS observing campaign. James Bauer, principal investigator of the Small-Bodies Node at IAWN and research professor in the Astronomy Department of the University of Maryland, says that this network includes scientists from all over the world. Together they do active research on near-Earth objects like comets and asteroids. NASA works to coordinate the observing campaigns of IAWN and the network.
The whole world’s eyes are on this
For the last few months, space agencies and observatories around the world have been keeping an eye on this interstellar comet. Recently, photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and the JUICE Jupiter Mission were also released, in which this comet is seen moving rapidly within the solar system. Interstellar comets like 3I/ATLAS are rarely seen. These allow scientists to understand how our solar system is connected to the rest of the universe.
