Astronomers Gain Clearer Picture of 3I/Atlas Thanks to Mars Orbiter Views

Astronomers now possess a significantly sharper understanding of the trajectory of interstellar comet 3I/Atlas, thanks to an unexpected ally: a probe orbiting Mars.

Until recently, observations of the comet were almost exclusively Earth-based. The addition of a Martian perspective has provided researchers with a markedly improved grasp of its path.

Discovered on July 1, 2025, by the Gemini South Observatory, 3I/Atlas instantly captured global attention in the astronomy community. It is only the third interstellar object ever detected traversing our Solar System. Since its discovery, scientists have been meticulously analyzing both its origin and its projected course.

A New Perspective From Mars

Prior to October, all tracking relied on terrestrial telescopes. However, as 3I/Atlas drew near Mars, two European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft — the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars Express — were able to observe the comet from an entirely different vantage point. This supplementary angle substantially enhanced trajectory calculations.

Capturing the comet from Mars presented significant challenges. The orbiters’ cameras were engineered to image Mars’ bright, nearby surface, not a faint object nearly 30 million kilometers away. Furthermore, TGO orbits Mars at approximately 14,000 km per hour, requiring precise calculations of the spacecraft’s instantaneous position to accurately track the distant comet.

First Interstellar Tracking From Another Planet

The ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Center (NEOCC) undertook this unprecedented task. Typically focused on asteroids approaching Earth, the team applied similar tracking methodologies to an interstellar visitor.

By integrating:

• Observations from Earth-based telescopes

• Imagery and motion data from TGO

the researchers improved the accuracy of 3I/Atlas’s predicted path by a factor of ten. This marks the first historical instance in which data from a spacecraft orbiting another planet was leveraged to chart the trajectory of an interstellar object.

Projected Path and Approach

3I/Atlas reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on October 30, 2025. It is currently traveling at nearly 250,000 km per hour and is projected to make its closest approach to Earth on December 19, 2025. Even at this point, it will remain a safe 270 million kilometers away, posing no threat to our planet.

Enhanced tracking allows astronomers to more precisely aim telescopes in the coming weeks, providing opportunities to glean additional information about the comet’s composition and origin.

A Test for Future Planetary Defense

Although 3I/Atlas poses no danger, its observation serves as a valuable rehearsal for planetary defense. This exercise highlights the advantage of combining Earth-based monitoring with data from spacecraft distributed across the Solar System.

Additional Observations and Future Missions

ESA’s JUICE spacecraft, en route to Jupiter, is also observing 3I/Atlas and collecting supplementary data. Concurrently, ESA is preparing new missions such as Comet Interceptor and NEOMIR, designed to study future comets with enhanced precision.

As 3I/Atlas exits the Solar System, it promises to provide crucial insights into celestial objects originating from distant corners of our galaxy.

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