CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) \u2014 NASA unveiled close-up pictures on Wednesday of the interstellar comet that\u2019s making a quick one-and-done tour of the solar system.<\/p>\n
Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I\/Atlas is only the third confirmed object to visit our corner of the cosmos from another star. It zipped harmlessly past Mars last month.<\/p>\n
Three NASA spacecraft on and near the red planet zoomed in on the comet as it passed just 18 million miles (29 million kilometers) away, revealing a fuzzy white blob. The European Space Agency\u2019s two satellites around Mars also made observations.<\/p>\n
Other NASA spacecraft will remain on the lookout in the weeks ahead, including the Webb Space Telescope. At the same time, astronomers are aiming their ground telescopes at the approaching comet, which is about 190 million miles (307 million kilometers) from Earth. The Virtual Telescope Project\u2019s Gianluca Masi zoomed in Wednesday from Italy.<\/p>\n
The comet is visible from Earth in the predawn sky by using binoculars or a telescope.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone that is in control of a telescope wants to look at it because it\u2019s a fascinating and rare opportunity,\u201d said NASA\u2019s acting astrophysics director, Shawn Domagal-Goldman.<\/p>\n
The closest the comet will come to Earth is 167 million miles (269 million kilometers) in mid-December. Then it will hightail it back into interstellar space, never to return.<\/p>\n