It\u2019s doing a Sun run.<\/p>\n
Manhattan-sized comet 3I\/ATLAS \u2014 which scientists suspect could have extraterrestrial origins \u2014 will reach its closest approach to the Sun on October 30.<\/p>\n
While ATLAS doesn\u2019t actually orbit our solar star, the intergalactic entity\u2019s trajectory nonetheless brings it closer to the Sun, and then further away \u2014 a phenomenon known as a perihelion approach, Space.com reported.<\/a><\/p>\n Manhattan-size comet 3I\/ATLAS \u2014 which is the third known interstellar object to enter our solar system \u2014 will reach its closest approach to the Sun on October 30. Artsiom P \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Both terrestrial telescopes and spotting devices in Earth\u2019s orbit will miss out on seeing the 3I\/ATLAS at perihelion. NASA<\/p>\n At its closest point, 3I\/ATLAS will be around 130 million miles away from our light source, just inside the orbit of Mars.<\/p>\n This means that the comet won\u2019t pose any threat to Earth, only passing within 170 million miles of our planet, NASA.com reported.<\/a><\/p>\n In fact, stargazers won\u2019t even be able to glimpse ATLAS\u2019 historic Sun run.<\/p>\n When ATLAS shifted to the opposite side of the Sun in September, it became lost in the solar glare, and won\u2019t reappear in Earth\u2019s sky in November or even September. This means that both terrestrial telescopes and spotting devices in Earth\u2019s orbit will miss out on seeing the 3I\/ATLAS at perihelion.<\/p>\n ATLAS currently poses no threat to the solar system (pictured). NASA<\/p>\n Thankfully, there are oodles of spacecraft exploring our solar system that will be able to take a peek. Potential spectators include the flotilla of spacecraft at\u00a0Mars, NASA\u2019s\u00a0mission to the Psyche astroid, and the Lucy mission\u00a0to\u00a0Jupiter\u2019s Trojan asteroids.<\/p>\n European Space Agency\u2019s Jupiter Icy moons Explorer (JUICE) probe will have the best seats in the house, but won\u2019t be able to beam its data to Earth until next February as its using its primary antenna to shield its gadgetry from the Sun.<\/p>\n Of course, not everyone thinks that ATLAS\u2019 fly-by is so benign. Harvard Scientist Avi Loeb, who has been following the object since it was discovered in July by NASA\u2019s James Webb Telescope, raised concern that ATLAS was passing close to Jupiter, Venus and Mars. <\/p>\n According to him, this unusual approach, along with its anomalous trajectory and non-gravitational acceleration, suggest that ATLAS could be a potentially hostile alien probe that\u00a0was sent to conduct reconnaissance on Earth<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another characteristic that seems to defy typical comet behavior, per Loeb include an anti-tail \u2014 a jet of particles that points toward the Sun instead of away from it as is typical. <\/p>\n