UAE Observatory Lands Historic Capture Of Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

NASA identified a rare celestial body on July 1, confirming it as a comet from another solar system. This object had been travelling through space for billions of years before its recent discovery. The Al-Khatim Astronomical Observatory in Abu Dhabi captured images of the comet on July 3, despite its faint brightness at magnitude 17.5, requiring large telescopes for visibility.

The ATLAS survey system in Chile first spotted the comet using one of its telescopes. Initially coded "A11pl3Z," it was later named "C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)" and finally designated "3I/ATLAS." The prefix "3I" signifies that this is the third interstellar object discovered, following ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.

During a 45-minute observation session, the observatory captured 45 images of the comet. In these images, the comet appears as a moving dot against streaks representing stars. The Al-Khatim Observatory submitted its findings to the Minor Planet Centre (MPC) of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), marking it as the first Arab observatory to conduct scientific observations of this particular comet.

Currently, the comet is approximately 670 million kilometres away from the Sun. It travels at an impressive speed of 221,000 kilometres per hour. Fortunately, it poses no danger to Earth, with its closest approach being about 240 million kilometres away.

The comet will reach its nearest point to the Sun on 30th October 2025. At that time, it will be about 210 million kilometres from the Sun and is expected to have a brightness magnitude of 11.

This discovery highlights significant advancements in astronomical research and international collaboration. The ability to detect such distant objects underscores technological progress in space exploration.

With inputs from WAM