The newly discovered “interstellar comet” 3I/ATLAS appears to shine like a rainbow of cosmic pearls, in a stunning image captured by a telescope in Hawaii.
See also: Watch interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS traverse the solar system
The comet was spotted on July 1, and within 24 hours, NASA confirmed that it is an interstellar object — a fragment of an alien planetary system that is hurtling through our space neighborhood. It is only the third such object ever detected, and is likely a large comet, up to 24 kilometers across .
Initial observations also indicate that it may be up to 3 billion years older than our solar system, which would make it the oldest comet ever observed.
The newly discovered "interstellar comet" 3I/ATLAS appears to radiate like a rainbow of cosmic pearls, in a stunning image captured by a telescope in Hawaii.
See also: Ancient meteorite may reveal how water originated on Earth
The object was spotted on July 1, and within a day NASA confirmed that it is an interstellar object — a fragment of an extrasolar system passing through our Solar System's neighborhood. It is only the third such object ever detected and is most likely a huge comet, up to 24 kilometers across.
Early observations also indicate that it may be up to 3 billion years older than our Solar System, which would make it the oldest comet observed to date.
The time-lapse photo is the result of combining at least 16 different shots, taken with three different filters, making the comet appear to change shades between blue, red and green as it crosses the sky. In reality, the comet emits white light, but in the new photo it appears to have the colors of a rainbow.
See also: Newly discovered comet SWAN “exploded”
The images have contributed significantly to “the critical initial analysis of this interstellar visitor,” said Martin Still, the National Science Foundation (NSF) program manager for the Gemini International Observatory, which includes Gemini North and its twin telescope, Gemini South, in the Chilean Andes. “We look forward to a wealth of new data and discoveries as this object warms up in sunlight before continuing its cold, dark journey among the stars.”
Source: livescience
