Scientists have pinpointed the exact date when a mysterious object, which a Harvard scientist suggests is “not natural,” will come closest to Earth.
Discovered in July by the NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile, the object known as 3I/ATLAS is making its way towards our solar system.
This is only the third identified object that originates from interstellar space, indicating it has traveled from beyond our solar system.
Researchers determined its interstellar origin because the object is moving too quickly at over 41 miles per second to be held by the Sun’s gravity.
The object was previously thought to be potentially threatening due to concerns that it might cause disruption on Earth.
Although these concerns have lessened, scientists have now identified the exact date when the comet will be closest to Earth.
Mark your calendars for December 19, 2025, when this comet will be approximately 270 million kilometers from Earth. Fortunately, this distance is safe for our planet.
In fact, 3I/ATLAS recently passed closer to the Sun, at a distance of 210 million kilometers, within Mars’s orbit, just days ago on October 30.
As scientists continue observing the comet, they are puzzled by certain aspects, particularly the rapid increase in brightness of 3I/ATLAS.
“The reason for 3I’s rapid brightening, which far exceeds the brightening rate of most Oort cloud comets at similar r [radial distance], remains unclear,” wrote Qicheng Zhang from Lowell Observatory and Karl Battams from the US Naval Research Laboratory, in a paper on arXiv.
Researchers have suggested several theories, such as the comet’s speed and trajectory, or potentially unique aspects of its chemical composition, as causes for the unusual brightening.
They further stated: “Oddities in nucleus properties like composition, shape, or structure – which might have been acquired from its host system or over its long interstellar journey – may likewise contribute.
“Without an established physical explanation, the outlook for 3I’s postperihelion behavior remains uncertain, and a plateau in brightness – or even a brief continuation of its preperihelion brightening – appears as plausible as rapid fading past perihelion.
“Continued observations may help provide a more definitive explanation for the comet’s behavior.”
Scientists plan to keep a close watch on 3I/ATLAS in the coming months.