A recently discovered space object, Comet 3I/ATLAS, has scientists both curious and cautious. Spotted in July speeding toward the sun, it comes from outside our solar system and is one of the largest comets recorded in recent years.
NASA has reassured the public that the comet will not get dangerously close to Earth, passing at a safe distance of about 170 million miles. But some scientists are worried because of the comet’s strange path around the sun.
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb and his team suspect the comet’s orbit is designed in a way that avoids Earth’s eyes, raising questions about whether it might be more than just an ordinary space rock. Although current technology can’t easily reach such a fast object, Loeb urges more observations to understand its nature better.
Expected to approach near Earth around late November or early December, this mysterious comet reminds us how little we truly know about what’s out there.
