Energy News
EXO WORLDS
Space agencies track rare 3I/ATLAS interstellar object near Mars
Space agencies track rare 3I/ATLAS interstellar object near Mars
by Mike Heuer
Washington DC (UPI) Oct 7, 2025
NASA and the European Space Agency are tracking the 3I/ATLAS interstellar object as it travels past Mars on its way toward the Sun and through the solar system.

The object is thought to be a comet and is only the third interstellar object to be identified within the solar system, according to NASA.

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover might have captured an image of 3I/ATLAS, which scientists first discovered in July, as it passed Mars at a distance of 23.6 million miles from the Red Planet.

The NASA rover's right navigation camera recorded images that show a streak of light against an empty backdrop of space.

The streak likely is about 31,000 miles in length and was made by combining hundreds of images taken by the rover's camera over about 10 minutes, Harvard University astronomer Avi Loeb wrote, as reported by NASA.

Loeb said the object is much smaller than the 31,000-mile streak might suggest.

NASA officials said it's yet to be confirmed that the image is the 3I/ATLAS interstellar object.

The ESA also aimed the cameras of two Mars orbiters at the object as it continued its Mars flyby from Wednesday through Tuesday.

"Though our Mars orbiters continue to make impressive contributions to Mars science, it's always extra exciting to see them responding to unexpected situations like this one," said Colin Wilson, ESA project scientist for the Mars orbiters.

"I look forward to seeing what the data reveals following further analysis," he added.

The ESA says it has images of the 3L/ATLAS interstellar object, which came within 18.64 million miles of the ESA's Mars orbiters on Friday and gave them the best view of the suspected comet.

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter used its Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System to take a series of digital images of the interstellar object.

The ESA's Mars Express also has tried to capture images of the likely comet with its OMEGA and SPICAM spectrometers, but the effort so far has not succeeded.

ESA officials say they will have another opportunity to record the object from its Jupiter Icey Moons Explorer in November as 3I/ATLAS is near the Sun and becomes more active.

Those recordings won't be available until February, and the ESA has planned a 2029 mission to intercept another "icy wanderer."

The 2029 Comet Interceptor mission would place an orbiter in a location where it could await the arrival of a comet from the Oort Cloud, which encircles the solar system, or another interstellar visitor, such as 3I/ATLAS.

Related Links
Lands Beyond Beyond - extra solar planets - news and science
Life Beyond Earth

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
EXO WORLDS
Spirals in young star disk reveal planet formation process
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Sep 25, 2025
Observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have captured the motion of spiral structures in the disk of dust and gas surrounding the young star IM Lup, offering new evidence that these features are linked to the earliest stages of planet formation. Located 515 light-years away in the constellation Lupus, IM Lup's protoplanetary disk displays spirals that astronomers consider possible precursors of planet formation. While such patterns can also be caused by already fo ... read more

EXO WORLDS
Bio-oil from agricultural and forest waste could help seal abandoned oil wells and store carbon

Pretreatment methods bring second-gen biofuels from oilcane closer to commercialization

Ash improves methane yield and fertilizer value in biogas systems

Rice researchers turn wasted data center heat into clean power

EXO WORLDS
Ultrafast stabilization of positive charges revealed in solar fuel catalyst

Next-generation LEDs and solar cells powered by new spinel-type sulfide semiconductor

Perovskite triple-junction solar cells move closer to ultra-high efficiency

Solar power leads the global energy transition as costs plunge to record lows

EXO WORLDS
French-German duo wins mega offshore wind energy project

Wind giant Orsted to resume US project after court win

Floating wind power sets sail in Japan's energy shift

Transportation Department wind farm funding cuts to save $679M

EXO WORLDS
Under promise, over deliver? China unveils new climate goals

China steps into spotlight at UN climate talks

EU states agree broad UN emissions target avoiding 'embarrassment'

Hundreds of scientists rebuke US push to overturn climate ruling

EXO WORLDS
New AI enhances the view inside fusion energy systems

Lightning Strikes 12 Times a Minute Inside Zap Energy Fusion Platform

Durham scientists validate superconducting wires for ITER fusion project

Neutrinovoltaic master formula published as pathway to scalable clean energy

EXO WORLDS
An Aussie tycoon bets billions on cleaning up iron ore giant

Dozens more Zambian farmers sue over toxic mining spill

Salvadoran court clears anti-mining activists of civil war murder

Polluting Singapore ship's agent pays token damages to Sri Lanka

EXO WORLDS
Solar driven process extracts hydrogen fuel directly from air moisture

Palladium filters could enable cheaper, more efficient generation of hydrogen fuel

Solar hydrogen reimagined as a profitable clean chemical platform

What Trump's Qatar security pledge means for Mideast

EXO WORLDS
Martian skies reveal intricate atmospheric layers in new orbiter images

Curtin powers global push to find life on Mars and advance autonomy

Researchers ID new mineral on Mars, providing insight on potential early life

Technique Could Reveal Hidden Habitats on Moon and Mars

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.