"NASA is poised to reveal the true identity of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS tomorrow - after more than a month of silence. The space agency has announced it will hold a press conference at 15:00 EST (20:00 GMT) to share never-before-seen images of the mysterious visitor. These observations were gathered by NASA's various spacecraft and telescopes - including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter during its close pass of the Red Planet."
"During the shutdown between October 1 and November 12, the majority of NASA's staff were placed on furlough, and the agency was prevented from communicating with the public. In a case of terrible timing, this came just as 3I/ATLAS entered the best position for astronomers to observe it. On October 3, the comet reached its closest distance to Mars as it passed just 19 million miles (30 million kilometres) from the Red Planet and the fleet of satellites waiting there."
"Experts are confident these images will finally put an end to the speculation that 3I/ATLAS might be some sort of 'artificial' object. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Matthew Genge, an expert on comets and meteors from Imperial College London, said: 'All the evidence so far is consistent with a comet from another planetary system. 'If it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, and quacks: it is most likely a duck. 'Or in this case, a comet.'"
NASA will hold a press conference at 15:00 EST (20:00 GMT) to share previously withheld images of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. Observations were collected by NASA spacecraft and telescopes, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter during its close pass of Mars. The images were withheld during the government shutdown from October 1 to November 12, when most NASA staff were furloughed and public communication was restricted. 3I/ATLAS passed 19 million miles (30 million kilometres) from Mars on October 3 and reached perihelion at 130 million miles (210 million kilometres) on October 29. Solar heating at perihelion likely induced cometary activity. ESA released ExoMars TGO and Mars Express images that refined trajectory predictions. Experts expect the images to confirm a cometary origin and dispel artificial-object speculation.
#3iatlas #interstellar-comet #nasa-press-conference #mars-reconnaissance-orbiter #government-shutdown
Read at Mail Online
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