Tianwen-1 Captures Rare Portrait of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS from Martian Orbit
Mars Orbit – china’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft has successfully captured a detailed image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS,a remarkable technical achievement given the comet’s distance and faintness.The image, released by the China National Space Governance (CNSA), provides a unique perspective on the comet, which recently became visible again after passing behind the Sun.
The observation is particularly significant as 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar comet to enter our solar system. Its visibility from Earth was temporarily blocked as it traveled behind the Sun, prompting observations from probes in more favorable positions - namely, Mars. Tianwen-1 joins the ESA’s Mars Express and ExoMars trace Gas orbiter in providing crucial data on this visitor from another star system.
The CNSA highlighted the challenges overcome to obtain the image.”This is the frist attempt to photograph such a distant and relatively faint target (10,000-100,000 times fainter than a target on the surface of Mars),” the agency stated. The Tianwen-1 team conducted extensive simulations and calculations to maximize the capabilities of the probe’s high-resolution camera, originally designed for studying the Martian surface.
The released image clearly shows the comet’s nucleus – its rocky and icy core – and the surrounding coma, a cloud of gas and dust formed by evaporating ice. the coma extends for several thousand kilometers, according to the CNSA.
The successful imaging of 3I/ATLAS demonstrates Tianwen-1’s advanced capabilities and China’s growing role in deep-space observation. Interstellar comets offer scientists a rare prospect to study materials from beyond our solar system, potentially providing insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems around othre stars.
