"It's the last chance to see this one,"
"It's not coming back."
"These comets are not coming from the Oort cloud, which provides most of the comets we see orbiting the sun,"
"Instead, these comets originated elsewhere and are coming from outside of our solar system. They're really interesting because they have the imprint of both other solar systems and the interstellar medium potentially on them."
Comet 3I/ATLAS is an interstellar object visiting the inner solar system and will make its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 19 before heading back to interstellar space. The comet was discovered July 1 by the NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Chile and was briefly lost as it passed behind the sun. Observers with backyard telescopes can view it between now and January, especially in the two hours before sunrise, where it will appear between a bright star and a faint smudge. NASA states the comet poses no threat to Earth. The object provides scientists a rare sample carrying imprints of other solar systems and the interstellar medium.
Read at SFGATE
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