COMET 3I/ATLAS HEADING TO EARTH

New cosmic footage has been released showing the comet 3I/ATLAS becoming more active. The footage also showed that its tail is getting longer.

Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered by the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey on 1 July in Chile.

The comet is currently making its way through our inner Solar System and will eventually exit it.

Most comets are formed within our Solar System, but 3I/ATLAS has been identified as an interstellar comet as it formed around a distant star in deep space. It's only the third known comet to have originated from beyond our Solar System.

Some of the world’s most powerful telescopes have been following the 3I/ATLAS since its discovery. This includes the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.

Through these telescopes, we’ve learned that the 3I/ATLAS comet could be the oldest comet we’ve ever seen.

Over the coming months, the 3I/ATLAS comet will be visible from the Sun, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. It’s believed that the rovers and orbiters at Mars and Jupiter will also be able to record footage of the comet.

It’s been estimated that the 3I/ATLAS comet will be visible from Earth on 29 October.

Image credit: Live Science