3I/ATLAS: Chinese Mars probe also photographs interstellar comet
Because 3I/ATLAS's closest approach to the sun was not visible from Earth, probes had to step in. One from China also did.
The bright spot in the center is 3I/ATLAS
(Image: CNSA)
China's Mars orbiter Tianwen-1 has also photographed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, with the blurry images captured from a distance of 30 million kilometers. This is reported by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua citing the space agency CNSA. From the photos, the mission controllers have also created a short animation that visualizes the celestial body's movement. On Mars, the probe was among the instruments closest to the celestial body during its closest approach to the sun. Such observations are therefore of particular value, as the comet lost more gas and dust then than before and after.
(Image:Â CNSA)
Visible from Earth again
3I/ATLAS was discovered in early July by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile, hence its name. The interstellar comet is only the third visitor to our solar system to be discovered during its passage. In its orbit through the solar system, it was behind the sun from Earth's perspective recently. Therefore, probes had to step in from various corners of the solar system. For a few days now, however, the celestial body has been visible from Earth again, an astronomer from the USA has pointed out. To photograph it, a clear sky and a low horizon in the east are needed in the early morning.
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Tianwen-1 is not the only Mars probe that has photographed the interstellar visitor. The Trace Gas Orbiter of the European Space Agency ( ESA) has also succeeded in doing so. On images from Mars Express, however, it could not be detected. Furthermore, it is possible that the Mars rover Perseverance photographed it, but the largely inactive US space agency NASA has not commented on the photos, which were published completely automatically. From China, it is also said that the photos from Tianwen-1 are an important part of the orbiter's extended mission. Furthermore, the detection of such a faint object is a valuable test for the Tianwen-2 mission. It was launched in the spring, but not to Mars. The probe is intended to explore an asteroid and a comet.
(mho)
