NASA will showcase never-before-seen images of comet 3I/ATLAS at a special event

NASA will present a live event this Wednesday, November 19 to share never-before-seen images of comet 3I/ATLAS, captured by the agency's spacecraft and telescopes. The broadcast will take place from the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

This is the third interstellar object identified so far and a unique scientific opportunity to analyze how it interacts with our solar system. The agency confirmed that coverage will be available on NASA+, its website, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

What is comet 3I/ATLAS and why is it so important?

Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1 by the ATLAS observatory, funded by NASA. This object comes from outside our solar system and follows a hyperbolic trajectory, which confirms that it is not gravitationally bound to the Sun.

Although it poses no risk to Earth, it came within less than 30 million kilometers (18.6 million miles) of Mars in early October.

How it was discovered and how it got its name

The ATLAS telescope in Chile was the first to report observations of the comet to the Minor Planet Center. Later, previous data from June 14 obtained by other ATLAS telescopes and Caltech's Zwicky Transient Facility were collected.

Its name combines the order number (3), the object category (I for "interstellar"), and the name of the responsible team (ATLAS).

NASA's event

According to the agency, the session will feature representatives from its headquarters in Washington:

• Amit Kshatriya, associate administrator.
• Nicky Fox, associate administrator for Science Missions.
• Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of Astrophysics.
• Tom Statler, chief scientist for small bodies of the solar system.

The public will be able to participate by sending questions with #AskNASA during the broadcast.

A closer look at the comet

In July, Hubble captured a detailed image of its structure, showing a cocoon of dust emerging from the comet's icy nucleus. The observations made it possible to estimate that its diameter would be between 440 meters (1,444 feet) and 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles).

Its speed also drew attention: it reached 246,000 km/h (152,857 mph) at its closest point to the Sun.