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NASA Activates Special Protocol to Monitor Unpredictable Interstellar Comet
WASHINGTON D.C. – NASA has initiated a specialized training exercise, running from November 27, 2024, to January 27, 2026, to refine analysis of the 3I/ATLAS comet and bolster response protocols for potential space threats. The activation stems from challenges in accurately predicting the trajectory of the interstellar object, discovered July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile.
The comet, estimated to be between 20 and 30 kilometers in diameter with a rocky core around 5.6 kilometers across and a mass exceeding 33 billion tons, presents “unique challenges” to astronomers, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) warning. NASA explains that “cometary bodies are extended systems, for which measurements can generally be extracted from their centroid of maximum brightness,” making precise positional calculations difficult.
Currently located over 670 million kilometers from the sun and traveling at 61 kilometers per second, 3I/ATLAS was detected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert Survey System (ATLAS), a NASA-funded project.
To address these challenges, Harvard’s Minor Planet Center – operating under IAU supervision and with NASA funding – will host a workshop focused on comet astrometry techniques. The goal is to improve the precision of observations and minimize potential misinterpretations of the comet’s path. The Canarias Astrophysics Institute (IAC) is also collaborating with international centers to further understand the comet’s composition, trajectory, and potential scientific implications as it passes through the Solar System.
