Comet’s tail that

A new image shows the growing tail of A comet from another star system scratching through our solar system.

The image of Comet 3i/Atlas It was captured on August 27 using one of the telescopes in the International Gemini Observatory in Chile during a public dissemination event that allows students to work with astronomers.

The comet is only the third known interstellar object that passes through our solar system. It does not represent a threat to the earth, NASA said before.

Cite 3I/Atlas has been photographed several times since its discovery in July. In early August, NASA and the European Space Agency published Photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. It was about 277 million miles from the earth when the telescope captured it.

The new image of the Gemini Observatory shows the comet’s coma, or a cloud of dust and gas that is formed around its nucleus as the sun approaches, said astronomers in a press release. The tail covers approximately 1/22 of degree in the sky. A grade is about the width of a little finger, according to the press release. The tail also points out of the sun.

The characteristics are “significantly more widespread than what appeared in previous images,” according to astronomers. This means that the comet has become “more active” as it travels through the internal solar system.

The main objective of the observatory session, which allowed students and members of the public to join astronomers remotely in the control room, was to look at the wavelengths of the light emitting from the kite. Wavelengths, also called spectrum, can give information to scientists about the composition and chemistry of the comet, helping them understand how the kite changes while passing through the solar system, according to the press release.

NASA said previously that the comet is expected to make its closest to the sun at the end of October and pass between the orbits of Mars and the Earth. The kite is expected to remain visible until September, then it will approach the sun too much to observe until it reappears on the other side of the solar body in early December.

Interstellar comets are very rare, astronomers said. Only two other examples have been confirmed: 1i/’oumuamu in 2017 and 2i/Borisov In 2019.

“As 3i/Atlas accelerates to the depths of interstellar space, this image is both a scientific milestone and a source of astonishment,” said Karen Meech, astronomer of the Astronomy Institute of the University of Hawaii and leader of the observation program, in a statement. “It reminds us that our solar system is only part of a vast and dynamic galaxy, and that even the most fleeting visitors can leave a lasting impact.”

• Space