An interstellar object has invaded the solar system


Astronomers have discovered the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS in the Solar System. This was reported on July 3 by the publication EarthSky.
"For the third time in history, astronomers have discovered an interstellar object streaking through our solar system. The newly discovered object, 3I/ATLAS, can be up to 12 miles (20 km) in diameter. And it is rapidly moving towards the Sun," the article says.
It is specified that the maximum approach of the object to the Sun will take place in October, when 3I/ ATLAS will enter the orbit of Mars.
The publication clarifies that at the moment it is impossible to accurately determine the class of a space object, most likely it is a comet or an asteroid. However, the current data obtained from the trajectory of 3I/ATLAS suggests that it is a comet.
Marshall Eubanks, a physicist, VLBI radio astronomer and co-founder of Space Initiatives, said that the object can be up to 20 km in diameter. The scientist suggested that it originated from a thin galactic disk.
The authors of the publication claim that this interstellar object does not pose a threat to the Earth.
On June 25, the James Webb spacecraft discovered a previously unknown exoplanet. It is specified that this discovery is the first of its kind for a telescope and was achieved using a French-made coronagraph, which is mounted on the MIRI JWST instrument.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»