Astronomers capture the first close-up photograph of the new intersteller visitor

It is out of this world. Or, more accurately, this solar system.

On 1 July, astronomers discovered an object near Jupiter’s orbit which was strange. It had a strange classroom, one that did not take it most like asteroids or comets around the sun.

Eventually it was confirmed that this object – named 3i/atlas, or C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) – was an intersteller visitors.

Now, using the US National Science Foundation (NSF) Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii, astronomers have captured the first detailed image of this cosmic interpoper.

“We are ready for a reward of new data and insight, as it heats itself on sunlight before continuing its cool, dark journey among the object stars,” Martin Still said in a statement, “Martin Still said in a statement.

Comets will appear in large telescopes by September, after which it will be lost in the glare of the sun.

Learn more about comets

Paul Wigert, a professor at an astronomy of Western University, told CBC News in an email, “As this is the discovery of our third intellectual visitor, we are excited to learn about this completely new class.”

Astronomers like to study comets and asteroids because they are saved from the early formation of our solar system and can tell what was the situation at that time. Being able to do some studies from outside our neighborhood may possibly provide more knowledge about other star systems.

Current comments suggest that the comet is about 20 kilometers in diameter, which is larger than the last two intersteller comets astronomers who have been seen passing through our solar system.

The first was the comet ‘OUMUAMUAWhich had an average diameter of 200 meters. The second was 2i/BorisovWhich was one kilometer diameter.

The fact that 3i/atlas is so large, is a boon for astronomers: it makes it easy to study, especially it is near the Earth. This will create a close approach in December, but there is no danger.

A Recent study presented by author Matthew Hopkins In the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting 2025 in Durham, England, it suggests that this new visitor may be the oldest comed ever.

He guesses that it originates from a part of our galaxy that is home to ancient stars, and says it can be seven billion years old, which is more than 4.5 billion years old of our solar system.

And this is the new visitor Husting: when it was discovered, it was traveling about 61 kilometers per second.

How do they know that it is not from our neighborhood

Astronomers can determine the origin of comets or asteroids based on the eccentricity of their classes, or how its path is spread.

The eccentricity of 0 means that it is a completely circular orbit. More than one eccentricity means that the orbit is not surrounded around the sun, and the high value is spread out of the more orbit.

In the case of 3i/Atlas, its class is 6.2, which astronomers know that it comes beyond the solar system. For comparison, ‘OUMUAMUA had 1.2 and 2i/Borisov’s eccentricity 3.6.

Currently, this new comet is still within the orbit of Jupiter, which is about 465 million kilometers from the Earth. It will create its nearest view to our planet on 19 December at a distance of about 270 million kilometers.

It will reach its closet point of the Sun on 30 October at a distance of 210 million kilometers, which will be inside the orbit of Mars.

Although astronomers have learned some things about this latest interlopper quickly, they expect to learn more over time.

“It seems like a comet from our own solar system. That is, mostly made of snow that is frozen for billions of years because it has deviated into the galaxy, but now (is) starts slowly turning on the vapor in our sunlight. It looks fuzzy with a tail.

“But we really do not know whether it is one of our comets (which are the remaining building blocks when the Earth and the planets are formed) or something completely different.”