UAE observatory captures interstellar comet

  On 1st July, NASA discovered a unique celestial object, which was quickly confirmed to be a comet coming from another solar system. It had been drifting through space for billions of years before entering our solar system and being discovered just a few days ago.

 Al-Khatim Astronomical Observatory, located in the Abu Dhabi desert, successfully imaged the comet on the evening of Thursday, 3rd July. Observing this object was challenging due to its faint brightness, currently at magnitude 17.5, making it visible only through large telescopes.

 The observation lasted 45 minutes, during which 45 images were taken. The comet appears as a moving dot, while the stars appear as streaks.

 The observatory submitted its results to the Minor Planet Centre (MPC) of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), making it the first Arab observatory to conduct scientific observations of this comet.

 The comet was discovered by the ATLAS survey system using one of its telescopes located in Chile. Initially, it was given the provisional code "A11pl3Z", then named "C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)", and finally designated "3I/ATLAS".

 The prefix "3I" indicates that it is the third interstellar object ever discovered. The first was the asteroid ʻOumuamua in 2017, followed by the second comet, 2I/Borisov, in 2019.

 The comet is currently located about 670 million kilometres from the Sun and is moving at a tremendous speed of 221,000 kilometres per hour.

 It poses no threat to Earth, as the closest it will come is 240 million kilometres. It will reach its closest point to the Sun on 30th October 2025, at a distance of 210 million kilometres and a predicted brightness of magnitude 11.

WAM