&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "3I/ATLAS update: Hera and Europa Clipper could soon enter interstellar comet's tail")
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS flew by Mars in early October, and this was an opportunity to observe the visitor using the orbiters hovering over the Red Planet. Very soon, two more spacecraft will get extremely close to the comet. In fact, both of them could enter the comet's tail, according to a new paper. These are NASA’s Europa Clipper and the European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft that are en route to their destinations. While Europa is going to study Jupiter's eponymous icy moon, Hera is travelling to the binary asteroid Didymos and Dimorphos. The authors stated that their paths are aligned in a manner that might take them through the interstellar comet's tail. This event will take place right around the time 3I/ATLAS gets nearer to the Sun. It is expected to reach perihelion on October 29 and will reach peak activity because of its proximity to our star. The paper has been accepted for publication in Research Notes of the AAS.
Also Read: 3I/ATLAS was spotted by NASA's TESS long before Atlas telescope. It saw no coma. Why?
Also Read: Pastor claims 'ship with demonic spirits' is coming for Earth. Netizens link it to 3I/ATLAS
3I/ATLAS arrival dates - Hera first, then Europa Clipper will encounter comet
Hera will be the first to poke through its ion tail between October 25 and November 1. The spacecraft might be able to gather some data on the tail of 3I/ATLAS, something that has been eluding the telescopes. Europa Clipper will encounter the comet between October 30 and November 6. “Europa Clipper has a rare opportunity to sample an interstellar object’s tail,” the authors wrote in the paper. Hera and Europa Clipper could help solve some of the mysteries surrounding 3I/ATLAS, as it has displayed several anomalies since its discovery on July 1. Besides these two opportunities, there will be one more man-made object in space peering at 3I/ATLAS. The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy moons Explorer (JUICE) will also be monitoring the comet in November. At this time, it won't be visible from Earth since it will be on the other side of the Sun. But JUICE would have a great view of the alien comet. However, it will only relay information by February next year because of the equipment it uses to relay data.
Latest observations of 3I/ATLAS
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ESA's two orbiters - ExoMars (TGO) and Mars Express - captured the interstellar comet on October 2-3. While the space agency released one image taken by TGO, what Mars Express saw is still not known. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance orbiter was said to be best positioned to spot 3I/ATLAS over the Martian sky. However, the American space agency has not yet revealed anything about the sighting. This is probably because of the shutdown that affected NASA as well, which stopped updating it website. An internal staff overhaul is also reportedly taking place.
