Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third known interstellar object to cross the Solar System, and in a matter of days it will pass the central point in its foray around our corner of the universe. On October 29, the comet will reach 203 million kilometers (126 million miles) from the Sun. That is about 36 percent further than the average Earth-Sun distance. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

The comet is not getting any closer than that, and following the perihelion – as the closest approach to the Sun is called – it will continue to speed up on its way out of the Solar System. The Sun is the closest star 3I/ATLAS has visited in at least 10 million years, maybe a lot longer, so the comet will speed away and get cooler and cooler.

Be

See Full Page